


miles of land in front of us

by rosesandspades713



Series: because of you I might think twice [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Frisk: Babysitter Extraordinaire, Meet the Family, One Shot Collection, Pregnancy, domestic life, inclement weather
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-05-28 09:41:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6324265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosesandspades713/pseuds/rosesandspades713
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of (mostly) one-shots for my fic "tonight I'll need you to stay". Primarily domestic fluff, and I am taking requests as well. Will probably update at least once a week if not more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i'm fairly local, i've been around

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's back? It's me. 
> 
> When there's more chapters I'll use the chapter summary box to give y'all the lowdown on what the chapter will contain. For right now, the opening note will have to do. 
> 
> This chapter: Sans and the reader take a trip to meet her family. Takes place the summer after the events of the main story, about three years before Sans proposed
> 
> Fic title from "March to the Sea" by twenty one pilots  
> Chapter title from "Fairly Local" by twenty one pilots

“Hey Sans, can you hand me my phone? I need to call my mom and tell her that we’re over the mountains now.”

You and Sans have been driving in your car for what feels like months. Well, actually, this is the second day. You were originally going to fly out to see your family, but it occurred to you that a road trip might be a better idea. If you’re going to take all your stuff from your parents’ house and move it to the brothers’, then you need all the space your backseat and trunk have to offer. 

Which is what leads to you holding your phone in your right hand and steering with your left, hoping to God that no cops are around. The  _ last  _ thing you need is a ticket. 

“Hello?” Your mom picks up on the third ring. 

“Hey Mom,” you say. “Just wanted to tell you we’re over the mountains, so it shouldn't be too long now.”

“Okay, honey!” she exclaims. “We’re having pot roast for dinner, I hope that’s okay.”

You smile. Pot roast is the best. “That’s great, mom. We’ll see you soon.”

“Okay! Tell Sans hi for me!”

You hang up, and hand the phone back to Sans, who sets it down on the console between you. “Mom’s making pot roast for dinner,” you say. “It’s great, you’ll love it.”

“Mmhmm.” Sans nods, and you can feel his stiffness without even looking at him. “Uh, about how long until we get there?”

“Hmm, maybe half an hour? Forty minutes?” You chance a glance his way. “Why? Are you nervous?”

He laughs sheepishly. “Is it that obvious?”

You nod, smiling. “Don’t worry about it. My family is going to  _ love  _ you. My mom already does, from what I’ve told her about you. And my dad has literally the  _ exact same  _ type of humor as you. Tell him a couple of puns and he’ll warm right up to you.”

“What about your brother, Logan?”

“He’s like my dad. Puns ‘n stuff. He’s kind of quiet, so don’t let that freak you out. He’s real smart, though. Smarter than me.”

Sans places a hand on your shoulder. “Well then he must be a certified genius!”

You laugh and shrug off his hand. “Oh shush.” You’re pretty sure you’ve managed to take his mind off his anxieties, and the rest of the drive passes smoothly. This is a trip you’ve made plenty of times; your family has always loved taking summer road trips and there’s only a few ways to get out of the secluded area you grew up in. East through the mountains, or south towards California. Coming down the mountain—watching the evergreen trees turn into deciduous and the shrubs turn into bushes—fills you with comfort. You know this territory like the back of your hand. 

Eventually you turn off the freeway and onto the local highway, heading further west. This is a short drive; within twenty minutes, you’re passing by your elementary school. You point it out to Sans.

“Sometimes it’s hard to believe I was ever that small,” you say. “I spent six years there and I can hardly remember any of it.”

When you pull into your neighborhood, you see Sans’ hands clench into fists out of the corner of your eye. You take one hand and lay it over one of them. 

“It’ll be fine. I promise.” 

Both your parents’ cars are in the driveway, so you pull up just past the mailbox. Parking the car, you turn it off and get out, your body extremely relieved to stand up straight again. Two days in a small car is not a comfortable thing for your poor legs.

Sans comes around from the passenger side to stand next to you, and you take his hand to calm his nerves. The two of you walk up to the front door, and you ring the doorbell. It echoes inside the house, and you hear footsteps coming towards the door. You squeeze Sans’ hand, and when the door opens, you’re face to face with your dad.

“Hey, kiddo!” he says. You drop Sans’ hand and go in for a hug, grinning ear to ear. You missed your parents. He pats you on the back and pulls away, turning his attention to Sans. “And this is the lucky guy, eh? Sans, right?” He holds out his hand, and Sans moves to shake it.

“Yeah, I-woah!” he says, pulling back his hand. You look at them with concern until your dad pulls back his sleeve, showing you-

“Is that a joy buzzer?” Sans asks, practically in awe. “That’s hilarious. I mean, the whoopie cushion in the hand is a personal favorite of mine, but it’s always nice to see the classics in action.” Oh God, they’re perfect for each other. 

Your dad laughs. “Whoopie cushion in the hand, huh? I’ll have to use that one sometime. My coworkers are all pretty tired of getting buzzed.”

“Well isn’t that  _ shocking?” _ Sans says. You want to slam your hand against your forehead. Is this how Papyrus feels all the time?

“Okay ,” your dad says through his laughter. “I like this guy.”

“I knew you would.” You see Sans blushing out of the corner of your eye and you give him a sideways glance. “Come on. Let’s go meet Mom.”

“She and Logan are in the backyard,” your dad says. “Playing with the puppy.”

Wait.  _ Puppy? _

The shock on your face must be pretty obvious. “Oh shit, did your mom not tell you? We got a dog last month.”

“ _ No,  _ she didn’t tell me!” you exclaim. “Oh my god, Dad! What kind?” Your family hasn’t had a dog since the last one died, almost four years ago now.

“She’s a golden.” Your dad smiles. “Go see her, she loves meeting new people.”

You grab Sans’ hand and book it to the back door. “Come on!” He doesn’t resist, simply allowing you to drag him along. He knows you so well. 

You slide open the glass door and head outside, not even looking at your mom or Logan before a tiny little ball of golden fur comes barreling towards you, barking and whining. 

“Hi, sweetie!” you say, turning the puppy over on her side and rubbing her stomach. Her foot starts moving like crazy and you rub harder. “That’s a good girl! What’s your name, baby?”

“Her name is Lucy.” The voice makes you look up from the dog, and you see your mom sitting on a patio chair not two feet from you. 

“Hey Mom!” you stay, standing up in a hurry. “God, how  _ are  _ you?” You give her a hug right where she’s sitting. 

“I’m good,” she laughs. When you pull back she's looking over your shoulder. Oh. Right. 

You step back a few paces and grab Sans’ hand. “Mom, this is my boyfriend, Sans.” You give him a little shove and he goes to shake her hand. You’re unsurprised when she pulls him in for a hug, as well. 

“It is so nice to finally meet you, Sans!” she says. “ has told me so many things about you, it’s good to see you in person.”

He looks over at you. “Oh  _ has  _ she now?”

Your mom just laughs. “All good things, all good things.”

There’s movement out of the corner of your eye and you see Logan, your 16 year old brother, playing with Lucy. He’s sitting down on the grass, but you can tell he’s gotten taller. 

“Logan!” His head shoots up to look at you. “Come give me a hug, oh my god!”

He stands up, and you truly get an appreciation for how  _ tall  _ your little brother is. 

“Dude, have you been drinking a lot of milk?” you say, looking him up and down. Your eyes come to his shoulders. Barely. “How tall  _ are  _ you now?”

“I’m six foot six,” he says. “And you're still tiny.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

You roll your eyes and break away from the conversation. If you continue, it will never end. “Anyway. Logan. This is my boyfriend, Sans.”

They wave at each other and you can feel the awkwardness rolling off both of them. Logan just...isn’t as touchy-feely as your parents are. Or you are, for that matter. Hopefully Sans doesn't take that the wrong way.

“Six foot six, huh?” Sans says, a lazy grin on his face. Oh no. “That sure is a  _ tall order _ .”

Logan’ mouth quirks a little. “As long as it isn’t a  _ short stack  _ I think I’ll be okay.”

You hate everything. 

At least Sans is getting along with every member of your family. Even the puppy, Lucy, seems enamored with him. Although that might be because he is made of bones. Hard to tell. You’ll have to watch and make sure she doesn't start gnawing on his leg. 

Your dad comes out and joins you all in the backyard a few minutes later, and the five of you sit around and talk, playing with Lucy and catching each other up on what’s been going on. You find out that Logan is working as a counselor for a kids’ summer camp later in the summer, and that he’s going to take AP Physics next year in school. Sans perks up at that, and the two of them start talking about the physical sciences. It goes over the heads of everyone else, including you. 

“So Sans,” you mom says. “ tells me you have a brother? Papyrus?”

“Yeah. He’s the coolest.”

You nod. “He really is. He works with our friend Undyne at the college.”

“Undyne’s one of the ones who got married, right?” your mom asks. When you nod, she continuos. “Was it a nice ceremony? I know how much you love weddings.”

“Yeah, it was great,” you say. “We all had a really good time.”

“Heh,  _ yeah  _ we did.” You almost elbow Sans in the ribs, electing instead to shoot him a sideways glare. “Have fun, I mean,” he corrects himself. Good boy. 

A little while later, your dad announces that dinner is ready, and the five of you (plus Lucy) head inside and gather around the table, Sans sitting next to you. Your dad dishes out all the food and you all dig in. Yum. 

Over dinner, you all talk some more. Your mom asks about the brothers’ house, and what it’s like. She says she wants to come out and visit you once she gets some time off from work. Then the conversation shifts to you and Sans’ visit. Everyone suggests places for you to take him, like the market in the city or the nearby mountain. You look at him and he shrugs. 

“Mountain seems cool.”

When dinner is over you all relocate to the family room and watch Jeopardy. It’s a family tradition. Sans has seen the show a few times, so he plays, too. He gets every question in the category about astronomy right and your family is very impressed. Heck yeah, your boyfriend’s a nerd. 

Once Jeopardy’s over your mom turns on a movie and you all talk some more. You’re happy to see Sans getting along with your family so well. It's the best you ever could have hoped for. And you were right, that your dad and Sans share the same humor. They make jokes all through the night, and it feels so nice to laugh at them. 

Soon enough, it’s time to turn in for the night. Sans says he’s cool with sleeping on the couch, but your mom shushes him and says that there’s “plenty of room on ’s bed, after all it  _ is  _ a queen.” Sans makes no further comment but his relief is palpable. Ever since the events of last winter he has almost always spent the night in your bed or stumbled in your room at 3 in the morning after a particularly nasty nightmare. Something you would  _ not  _ want to explain to your parents. You’ve kept what happened a secret from your family, worried about what they might think or do. Maybe someday you can tell them what happened. But not yet. 

The two of you head upstairs, and you lead him down the hall to the room where you slept for the first eighteen years of your life. When you push open the door, you register that not much is different. Your sheets were changed recently, you see. Knowing your mom, she probably did it yesterday or even this morning. Either way, they look inviting after a long day of driving and socializing. You tell Sans to make himself comfortable while you change into your pajamas and go to brush your teeth. Once you’re done, you head back into the room, finding Sans sprawled across your bed, leaving no room for you. 

“Alright lazybones,” you say, pulling up the edge of the covers. “Scoot over.”

“Too tired,” comes his voice, muffled by your pillow. You roll your eyes. 

“Fine. I’ll just sleep downstairs.” You aren’t even fully turned toward the door when you feel a bony arm encircle your waist and pull you down onto the bed. You let out a breathless laugh and turn to your boyfriend. 

“You’re ridiculous.”

He just smiles sweetly at you. 

“Also, you have to admit that I was totally right.”

He looks confused. “About what?”

“About the fact that my family  _ totally  _ loves you! You had nothing to worry about.” You take his hand in yours and rub your thumb around the back. He slowly closes his eyes to the feeling. 

“Sans?” No answer. “ _ Sans.”  _ Nothing. It appears your boyfriend has fallen asleep. Rude. You’ll get mad at him in the morning. 

For now, it’s time to sleep. 

 


	2. we find our worth in giving birth and stuff (PART ONE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You overhear a conversation that puts an idea in your head that you just can't shake.
> 
> Sans is not okay with this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so many people have requested this and I also really wanted to write it myself, so.
> 
> This is multiple parts. I'm thinking three, maybe four? You'll see what I mean once you read more.
> 
> Also it's getting increasingly more difficult to find relevant twenty one pilots lyrics for every chapter. If I branched out into Fall Out Boy as well, would you guys be upset?
> 
> Chapter title from "Isle of Flightless Birds" by twenty one pilots

The day your life changes once again, you’re sitting in the office of the bakery. You’ve been typing up the month’s profits into the computer, and you overhear a conversation between a couple of the women working for you.

“Hey Dahlia, d’you think that birth control is a good idea?”

“Well, you know I’m taking it. And I love it. You just need to remember to take it every day, or else it doesn’t really work. You and Justin getting pretty serious, huh?”

“Yeah. I just don’t want any...accidents. You know?”

Huh. Birth control. That’s something you don’t have to worry about with Sans. He can finish inside you as many times as he wants, but you won’t get pregnant from it. That’s just not how it works with monsters, Sans says.

You wonder if there’s any way you could possibly  _ get  _ pregnant. There was a story that captivated every major news station a year or two ago, the first interspecies pregnancy and birth. The details were kept private, like the identity of both the monster and human. But it was a successful pregnancy, according to the news. And as far as you know, that baby is still alive and well, and more than a year old now. 

You’ve been, admittedly, thinking a lot more about pregnancy since then. You and Sans have been married for nearly three years now, and while you’ve been more than content, you can’t help but feel like something is missing. 

Maybe you should talk to someone about this. Someone who, at one point, knew what you were feeling. And when you get home, no one else is back yet. Sans has recently started teaching at Toriel’s school, and won’t be back until five or so, after he cleans up from the day. After you were married, you pushed him to get a degree in physics, and now he’s certified to teach as well. He goes around the school, teaching the kids about all kinds of science and doing special projects with them. He loves it, and he usually comes home raving about some funny thing one of the kids said or did. It always makes you smile. 

You pull out your phone, and give a call to your neighbor.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Tori! If you’re free, I was wondering if you wanted to come over and talk for a while.”

There’s barely a moment before she answers you. “Oh, of course! I’ll be right over, dear.”

You have just enough time to put a tea kettle on the stove before there’s a knock at the door. You rush to open it, and Toriel is standing before you.

“How are you?” she asks. You say that you’re doing just fine, and the two of you take a seat on the couch in the living room. 

“I called you over, Tori, because I wanted to ask you about, uh…” You flush red. “About monster pregnancy.”

She immediately assumes what you’re getting at. “Did you want to have a child, my dear?”

You shrug your shoulders. “Well, I’m not really sure. I mean, I think I do. But I don’t even know if it’s possible, with Sans and I. There was that story about the interspecies couple that had a child a few years ago, but I don’t know if it would work between the two of us.”

Toriel looks like she’s thinking. “How about I explain how monster pregnancy works, and then you can think about it some more?” When you nod, she begins. “Alright. Well, monster pregnancy, first and foremost, requires the consent of both monsters. It won’t work otherwise. Then, the monsters take out their souls, and each donates a part of their own soul to form the soul of the child.”

You nod in understanding. “So it’s like when two humans have a baby, and they each donate a set of chromosomes?”

“Precisely. Once the child’s soul is created, one parent acts as a host for its body to develop. This is very similar to a human pregnancy, although I believe the duration is shorter.”

This makes a surprising amount of sense. But you have another question. “What if two very different monsters wanted to have a child together? Like, for example, Muffet and Grillby?”

Toriel smiles. “The child takes its physical make from whichever parent it develops in. So if you and Sans were to have a child, and you were to house it, then I imagine it would come out looking very much like a human.”

Wow. That’s...a relief actually. You allow your mind to drift over the possibilities. A girl with your hair and blue eyes the same color as Sans’ magic. A boy with his big cheekbones. You feel something stirring in your chest, and you realize with a start that it’s your soul. Your soul is thrilled at the thought of having a child. 

Toriel must notice this, because she smiles sweetly at you. “What do you think, my dear?”

“I think...no. I  _ know  _ I want a child with Sans.”

There’s a shatter from the kitchen behind you and you shoot up, immediately tensed at the noise. “What was that?” 

You and Toriel dash into the kitchen, and you see her magic flared, ready to strike if need be. You come around the corner to see...no one. The kitchen is empty, save for the shattered remains of a coffee mug on the floor. Looking beyond that, you see a familiar jacket hanging up by the door.

Sans.

* * *

 

He panicked, he knows that for sure. He wasn’t thinking straight when he teleported out of the kitchen. He’s still not sure he’s thinking straight. 

After he got off from work, he came in through the kitchen door. As he was taking his coat off he heard you talking to someone, and then realized it was Toriel. He started listening to your conversation as he pulled down a mug to make himself some coffee, but he froze once he realized what you were talking about. 

Pregnancy. Having a kid. 

At first, he thought you were just curious. That you were just asking for a general overview. But then you asked the question about appearances, and Toriel used you and him as an example. And then you said exactly what he had been dreading. You want a kid. With him. You want him to be the father of your child. 

The panic that overcame him forced him to teleport away without thinking. He dropped the mug, he knows it probably broke. Shame. 

He looks around to try to figure out exactly where it is he teleported to. He’s back at the school. Naturally. He was just there, and when his magic acts up, it’s usually in predictable ways. He notices that, thankfully, there’s no one else here. That’s something he wouldn’t want to explain to someone. 

He takes a seat at one of the desks in the classroom, clenching and unclenching his hands. He’s noticed your change in attitude recently. You’ve started looking at children in a different way, in a way he can only describe as...longing. He had a feeling it would come to this eventually, but he still wasn’t ready for it.

It’s not that he doesn’t want a kid with you. He does, actually. Very much. But he knows, he just  _ knows  _ that it’s a bad idea. You always tell him how good he is with kids, and he always bites back a laugh. You don’t know enough to make that call.

He’s told you about the resets, sure. But he’s never told you the gritty, grimy details of the especially bad times. He hasn’t told you about how he laughed as the not-Frisk was speared on his conjured bones. About the vindication he felt when he used his blasters to sear the flesh off their body. And how when the world reset and he saw the not-Frisk emerge from the Ruins already covered in Toriel’s dust, he wasted no time in spearing them straight through the heart with a bone. 

He’s not cut out to be a dad. He knows this. And he knows how much you want a kid. It destroys him, thinking about how he’ll have to say no to you. He doesn’t want to. But he has to. 

The silence of the empty room is broken when his cell phone rings. He checks it, and it’s you. Of course. He picks up. 

“Sans, where are you?” Your voice is frantic and guilt shoots through him. “I know you heard us from the kitchen. What’s wrong?”

He doesn’t answer, just teleports back to the living room. When you see him, you end the call and walk over to him. 

“Sans,” you say, taking his hands. “Why did you leave?” 

On the edge of his vision he sees Toriel leave through the front door. The two of you are alone. 

“I…” he starts. “I’m not cut out to be a dad, sweetheart. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I know how much you want a kid, and I-”

“You don't want one?” you interrupt, eyebrows creased in confusion and distress. There are tears in your eyes and he hates himself for it. 

“No, it's not that I-”

“Then  _ what _ , Sans?!” You cut him off again, and your face is turning red. You haven’t been this upset in a long time. It scares him. “I-If you want one too then I don’t see what the problem is! You’d be a great dad! The best!”

He chokes back a derisive laugh at that. “No, . I’m pretty sure I’d be a terrible dad.”

You turn away from him and sit down on the couch, arms folded over your chest. “What the  _ hell  _ are you talking about? You’re so good with kids! God, it feels like every day Toriel has a story to tell me about how much the kids at the school  _ adore  _ you, Sans. And Frisk! You’re so good with them! As long as I’ve known you, you’ve been like an uncle to them. They love you so much.”

This is too much for him. He can’t hold it back anymore. He collapses onto the couch next to you, and places a skeletal hand on your knee. You look at him with confusion. 

“That’s the problem,” he breathes out. “Frisk.”

And he tells you everything. Everything he left out the first time you heard the story. About the sins he’s committed, the worst ones, the ones that wake him up in the middle of the night as his nightmares. 

When he finishes, he looks away from you, not wanting to see the look of disgust that is surely on your face. He counts the seconds of silence, waiting for you to yell at him, to tell him to leave. 

But you surprise him. As he’s looking away, he feels your arms around him, and you’re pulling him in close, your face smothered in his chest. In shock, he simply sits there as you hold him, unable to move. 

After a while you pull back and look him dead in the eyes. “Am I the first person you told about this?”

He nods. 

“ _ Sans.  _ You kept this to yourself for  _ ten years?  _ I don’t...how did you deal with that all by yourself? With nobody’s help?”

“I-uh...you’re not mad?” He’s still shellshocked. 

You take his hand and rub your thumb over it like a massage. “Honey,  _ no.  _ I’m not. I just wish you had told someone about this  _ years  _ ago. Maybe then you wouldn’t think so poorly of yourself.”

He can’t believe what he’s hearing. He flat-out told you that he has committed  _ murder, several times over,  _ and you're still worried about  _ him?  _ He has truly chosen the most wonderful person to fall in love with. 

You continue talking. “And despite what you told me, I  _ know  _ you would make a great father. From what it sounds like, you were trying to protect everyone you cared about from something that would  _ kill  _ them. That’s not something a bad person would do, Sans. You did the right thing. It might not feel like it, but I know it’s true.”

He could kiss you right now. So he does. As his teeth press against your lips, he thinks over what you’ve said. By your logic, he was doing the right thing all along. And even though it goes against everything he’s told himself for the past nine years, the thought keeps bouncing around his skull. Maybe he  _ is  _ cut out for this dad thing after all. Once he allows this thought to form, it’s all he can think about. You, holding a kid— _ his kid _ —and giving them to him to hold. Him, looking down at his child, a smile on their face as they look into their father’s gaze. 

When he pulls back from you, your face is still red, but in a different way. You look at him with the same excitement and happiness that was in your face when you spoke to Toriel. 

“Sans, if you need more time, we can wait, talk it over-”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

He touches his teeth to your forehead. “Yes, I want to have a kid with you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, requests are welcome and appreciated :)


	3. we find our worth in giving birth and stuff (PART TWO)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waiting a week, you're more than ready for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love love love LOVE writing these chapters guys. Just sayin'.

Sans insists that the two of you wait a week before doing anything further, and you reluctantly agree. While hearing Sans say he wants to have a child too makes you want to start immediately, you understand where he’s coming from. Sans is nothing if not cautious. He wants  _ both  _ of you to take some time and figure out if this is what you really want. You know your answer won’t change, but you humor him anyway.

When that week of waiting is up, you can’t corner him fast enough. He’s already left for work by the time you wake up, and as you go through your morning routine, you grumble to yourself. You’ll have to go through another day at work completely distracted. 

This doesn’t go unnoticed. You’re working at the register when you hear someone calling your name. 

“Hey!” It’s Dahlia. “Hello? Is anyone in there?”

You laugh and turn to face her. “Yeah, sorry. I’m just distracted.”

She smiles. “You’re more than just distracted. I recognize that look in your eyes. Date night or something?”

Not wanting to give away too much, you simply settle with “Sure, yeah. We haven’t had a night to ourselves in a while, Sans and I. And we both have the day off tomorrow.”

Dahlia wiggles her eyebrows. “Scandalous. Hope you two have fun!”

“Me too.”

* * *

 

Sans is  _ still  _ working by the time you get back to the house. It’s not fair, you think to yourself. You’ve already waited a whole week, and now you have to wait even longer. Maybe if you text him, he’ll come home sooner. It’s worth a shot. You pull out your phone. 

**Saaaaaaaaaaans**

You are the very image of eloquence when you text. But it does the trick because not a minute later you have a response. 

**whaaaaaaaaaaat**

You roll your eyes and answer him. 

**Come home I wanna have our baby**

His response is quick

**wow sweetheart u sure know how to make my heart go doki-doki**

The secondhand embarrassment is strong. 

**Stop hanging out with Alphys she’s rubbing off on you**

**Also you don’t have a heart**

**seriously though it’s been a week and I am READY**

You also want to throw your phone against the wall for some reason. 

**ok ok calm down ill be home in a min**

You start counting. You’re down to ten seconds left when you hear a noise in the kitchen. Sans is home. 

When you step into the kitchen he’s standing there, leaning against the kitchen counter. When he sees you he smiles, and crosses the room to give you a kiss. 

“How was work?” he asks. 

“Fine. Little boring,” you say. You glance at him pointedly. “Stop stalling. Pap’ll be home in a couple hours and I thought you might want to be done before he gets here.”

Sans lets out a sigh and lets his arm fall to your waist. “I just got home, babe. Let’s take a minute to relax, okay?”

You relent, and the two of you end up sitting on the couch for a few minutes. Sans’ breathing is slow and even behind you, and when you turn around, you’re not surprised to find him asleep. 

“Sans,” you say, shoving him lightly on the shoulder. “Sans. Wake up.”

After another particularly hard push, his eyesockets open, and he looks at you with a sheepish smile on his face. “Shit, sorry. Guess I was just  _ bone  _ tired.”

When you make no reaction to his pun other than to cock an eyebrow and sit back, he sighs and stands up, pulling you with him. 

“You ready, sweetheart?” he asks. You nod vigorously, face breaking out into a smile. He laughs at your enthusiasm. “Okay. Let’s go make a baby.”

The two of you head upstairs, and you grip Sans’ hand as your heartbeat takes off. This is it, you think to yourself. After waiting for a whole week, you and Sans are finally going to do this. You’re going to have a child. 

When you reach the bedroom you pull Sans down onto the bed, so happy you’re giggling. He lands on top of you and you grab his shirt collar, pulling yourself up so you can meet him in a kiss. He indulges you, a hand supporting you at the small of your back as he helps you sit up. When you finally pull apart, your face is flushed, and your breath is uneven. 

“Tori explained to me how this works,” you say. “Do...do  _ you  _ know?”

He just laughs. “Once Tori found out that we were doing this, she cornered me during lunch at the school. I had to sit through her explaining in  _ excruciating detail  _ how to make a kid. I went to school in the Underground. I learned how to make a kid. But no. Tori thought I needed an in-depth lecture.”

“That’s such a Toriel thing to do,” you say. “She justs wants to make sure we do this right.”

He makes a noise of agreement and lets out a breath. “Ready?”

You nod and lean back against the pillows. “Whenever you are.”

Sans raises his hand and an indigo light erupts from your chest as your soul emerges. You’ve seen it more than a few times now, but it never fails to blow your mind. Sans releases his hold on it and it floats in front of you as he pulls out his own soul. The two hearts bob up and down in front of their respective owners, and your gaze flits between the two of them. 

“Okay.” Sans’ voice is low, and you can hear the tiredness in his voice. When he uses his magic too much, he gets tired. “Now we both need to, uh, project our desire to have a kid through our souls.”

Your eyebrows furrow. “How do we do that?”

“Uh, just concentrate really hard on how much you want to have a kid with me? That’s the important part, that you want it to be with  _ me.  _ Won’t work otherwise.”

You nod and close your eyes so you can concentrate better. You focus on what you want, what you’ve been waiting to do for a whole week.

In your mind’s eye, you see images flash past. You, pregnant, a hand on your swollen abdomen as Sans sits next to you on the couch. Sans, holding your baby, you beaming at both of them. Fast forward. Your child takes their first step as you and Sans cheer them on. Your child’s first day of school. You let a few tears fall as they give you and Sans one final hug before embarking on their first great adventure. Your heart leaps with joy as you let these images wash over your mind. This is all you want. This is all you need.   

You feel a tugging pressure on your soul getting stronger and stronger. The tugging feeling gets stronger, until it suddenly stops, like a compressed spring returning back to its original size. 

“You can open your eyes now ,” Sans says. His voice is thick with emotion. As your eyes flutter open, they focus on the new object in the room. 

It’s a tiny heart, maybe a tenth the size of your soul. When you look at it closely, you see one side as your indigo, and the other as Sans’ cyan. As you watch, the colors swirl around the meeting place of the two halves. You’re sure that if you watch for long enough, the colors will mix completely. 

“It’s beautiful,” you whisper, not wanting to ruin the moment. “Is that-”

“Mmhmm.” Sans looks just as awestruck as you feel. “That’s our baby.”

The infinitesimal soul floats between the two of you, lightly pulsing and bobbing up and down. You’re captivated by its movements, not daring to take your eyes off of it. This tiny little soul has only been in existence for a few short moments but you already feel compelled to protect it, to defend it with your life, if it comes to that. 

“What happens next?” you ask.

“We put our souls back,” Sans says, “and then you take our baby’s soul inside, too.”

You swallow and nod, suddenly overcome with nerves. What if you mess something up? What if you do something to shatter the precious thing floating in front of you?

As if sensing your worry, Sans places a hand on your knee. You look up at him, and you can see the admiration and trust in his eyes. He believes in you.

“You can do it,” he says. You nod and look once again at your child’s soul. The colors are mixing even more now, creating a shade of blue akin to the summer sky on a late afternoon. Even more so than before, the need to protect it washes over you, and you feel your instincts take over your body. 

You call your soul back into your body, as Sans’ floats back into his. Then, without giving much thought to what you’re doing, you reach out both mentally and physically to your child’s soul, feeling its presence resonate around you. It responds to your call, moving towards your body slowly but deliberately, sinking into your chest just to the right of your heart. Once its light disappears from view you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding and your muscles relax. You suddenly feel very tired. 

Sans must too, because he joins you as you lie back on the bed. You’re having a hard time keeping your eyes open and you let out a yawn. 

As your eyes drift shut, you feel Sans’ breath on your neck. 

“I love you,” he whispers. 

You turn over on your side and open your eyes so you can meet his gaze. “I love you too. I’m so happy we’re doing this.”

“Me too.”

Sighing in happiness, you allow your thoughts to drift over what’s going to happen in the coming months. There’s so much you’re going to have to figure out before this baby arrives. 

“Hey Sans?”

“Mm?”

You smile sweetly at him. “We’re going to have to do a  _ lot  _ of work to get this house ready for the baby.”

His groan of disappointment is music to your ears. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY serious business time
> 
> On Thursday (3/31) I, along with several people from my school (and also my mom) am going to Europe!!! I'm super excited. However. This means something.
> 
> I won't be able to write/work on this story probably AT ALL until the day we get back, April 8th. 
> 
> My hope is that I can get another part of this story out tomorrow or Wednesday, but if not, then I will see you guys when I get back!


	4. we find our worth in giving birth and stuff (PART THREE)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your pregnancy has been...interesting, to say the least.

It’s been a few months since you and Sans conceived your child, and things have certainly been interesting since then.

Your favorite part was seeing everyone’s reactions. They’re all just as excited for this baby as you and Sans are. So far, your favorite reaction has been Frisk’s. They were one of the first people you and Sans told.

You and Uncle Sans are having a baby?! 

Once you confirmed it, they wouldn’t stop asking you questions about it for the rest of the day.

What are you naming them? When are they gonna be here? 

“Actually Frisk, I don’t know the answers to either of those questions! We don't know too much about how my pregnancy’s going to work compared to a regular human one.”

They nodded in understanding.  Can I be your babysitter? 

You had to reach up to ruffle their hair; they’re getting tall. “Of course! Sans and I wouldn’t trust our kid with anyone else!” That not exactly true, but Frisk doesn’t need to know that.

Frisk’s questions left you thinking, however. You really did have _no_ idea what to expect in the months to come. Toriel said a monster pregnancy is shorter than a human one, but what did that mean for a human pregnant the same way a monster is? You had so many questions and no frame of reference with which to answer them.

To quell your anxieties, you went with Alphys to the research university a few towns over for regular check-ups. There were monster doctors there, and they were able to explain to you in more detail what you could expect during your pregnancy.

Something you were _not_ prepared for was sudden bursts of magical energy. The first time it happened, you were about two months in, and you were sitting down with Sans and Papyrus to eat dinner, some burgers that you’d cooked up. Before you could take a bite, you felt a tugging from within and the ketchup bottle (which was sitting by Sans) zoomed towards you, clinking against your plate. You had looked at Sans for an explanation, and he simply shrugged.

“Wasn’t me,” he said.

When you went for your next check-up, you mentioned the incident to the doctor, and she explained to you that the baby was starting to develop its magic, and that it was a perfectly natural thing to happen. You were relieved, and when you told Sans, he was relieved too. But he was also pretty smug.

“Guess our kid loves ketchup just as much as I do.”

Luckily, the magic your child’s been showing off has been pretty tame. There was an incident that involved a lamp, but you don’t dwell on it. Lamps are easily replaced. Most of the time, something just moves towards you. It’s pretty convenient, actually. You’ve been joking to Sans that your child’s going to be a handful when they get here. He agrees, and every time there’s a burst of magic, he rubs your bump.

“Go easy on your mom, kiddo,” he warns.

Four months into your pregnancy, you look like you’re in your seventh.

“The baby should be here in just over a month,” the doctor says. This makes you increasingly nervous. You haven’t even picked out a name yet.

So once you get home, you pull Sans aside to have a serious discussion.

“We need a few options for whether they’re a boy or a girl,” you say.

Sans leans back into his recliner, hands tucked behind his head. “Okay. Got it.  if they’re a girl, Sans if they’re a boy.”

You kick him in the shin. “No! Come on Sans, be serious!”

“But I’m Sans.”

You take a deep, calming breath and close your eyes, willing yourself to remain calm. “Okay. How about Callista for a girl?”

He shrugs. “Sounds nice. Where’d you come up with that one?”

Pushing the hair back from your face, you laugh nervously. “It’s kind of embarrassing. Um, you know how your and Pap’s names are the same as some computer fonts? Well I was looking through some of them for, uh, naming ideas. There’s one called ‘Calisto’ and the girl version of that is Callista, and I thought it sounded nice.” You look down at your baby bump. “It’s stupid, I know.”

“Hey, I actually think it’s pretty cool,” Sans says. “I mean, Callista is way better than anything I could come up with.”

The two of you talk it over some more, and you end up coming up with a couple options for either a boy or girl: Callista and Lily for a girl, David and Corbin for a boy. It’s a relief to have that squared away, now that you’re apparently just a month shy of the due date.

Over these last few weeks, you’ve been getting increasingly nervous about what it means to be a mom. Everything with the baby has been going well; you have regular ultrasounds at the university to make sure everything is still developing just fine. So that’s not an issue. And it’s not like you aren't physically prepared. You have plenty of gender neutral baby clothes and a crib. Sans and Papyrus have been working on an extension to the house that adds a bedroom for the baby that will be finished well before the baby’s old enough to have their own room. You have promises from all your friends, both the monsters and humans, that they’ll be there to support you. But you still have doubts about your ability to be a good mom. You want this baby more than anything, but you still worry. What if the “motherly instincts” Toriel raves about don’t kick in for you?

The hope is that once you have your child in front of you, you’ll know exactly what to do. For now, all you can do is pat your baby bump and wait. You seem to be doing a lot of that lately. But you know it will all be worth it in the end.

* * *

 

On October 2nd, you and Frisk are the only one in the house. Sans is working, taking the fifth graders at Toriel’s school into the Underground to show them the Core. He was really excited about this morning. You called him a nerd and sent him on his way. Papyrus, meanwhile, is at the college with Undyne, subjecting the students to some form of legal torture, no doubt.

Frisk goes to the college now, but they’re having a little trouble with their American History class. Originally you questioned why they would come to you of all people, but it turns out that all they need you to do is read flash cards out loud and check their answers. It’s simple, it allows you to sit on the couch, and since you’re officially on maternity leave you have nothing better to do. So you read out loud things like “ _The Jungle_ ” and “Elizabeth Cady Stanton” and wait for them to come up with the right answer.

After a while, you start to get a little hungry, so you ask Frisk if they want to take a break and have lunch. They do, obviously, so you stand up to head to the kitchen and whip something up.

As you’re stretching to pull yourself up off the couch, you feel something down by the baby, like a little pop or a bone cracking. You shrug it off. Lots of weird things have happened while you've been pregnant.

You start waddling to the kitchen, cursing your size, when all of a sudden, you feel something, water rushing out of you and down your legs. Stopping dead in your tracks, you look down to see a puddle of water on the floor beneath you. This can only mean one thing.

“Frisk?!” you cry, panic slipping into your voice. They pop into view, a concerned look on their face.

Are you okay?  they sign. Their gaze shifts downward to the puddle of water on the floor.  What’s that? 

“I-I think my water broke,” you say. “The baby...it’s coming.”

Once you get the words out, you get a rush of both excitement and nervousness. From what you know of pregnancy, this next part won't be easy.

How can I help? 

You make your way over to a chair in the living room and sit in it, before looking up at Frisk. “Sans is in the Underground, right?” Cell reception doesn’t extend to the monsters’ former domain. When Frisk nods, you groan. There’s no way for you to contact him and tell him that you’ve gone into labor. Unless…

“Frisk, I need you to do a couple things for me, okay?” They nod and you continue. “I need you to get Toriel over here and then I need you to go to the Underground and tell Sans what’s going on. See if he can get someone else to watch the kids.

Okay! Good luck! 

They run out the door and you stand up, slowly making your way back over to the couch before lying down on it.

You are _not_ excited for the contractions that are coming.

* * *

 

Sans is having a great time. Seeing both monster and human children look at the Core with awe and curiosity more than makes up for the fact that he’s back in the Underground. Whenever the feeling of doubt, that little seed that tells him it’s all a dream and that he'll wake up in Snowdin at any moment pops up, he just turns on his phone to look at his background: you from just about a week ago. Your baby bump is really pronounced, and it serves both as a reminder that he’s got a family, something to anchor him, and that he’s really close to being a father. Which will freak him out if he thinks about it too long.

He smiles down at the picture before shutting his phone off again and turning back to the kids, his gaze shifting over all of them in turn. There’s barriers all around the ledge they’re all standing on, but one can never be too careful, Sans thinks. He doesn’t want to have to explain to a parent that their kid fell into the main power source of the Underground.

Things continue in this way for another few minutes, until Sans heads pounding footsteps coming up behind him. When he turns around, he’s both surprised and nervous to see Frisk standing before him. He knows they were studying with you today.

“Frisk?” he says. “What’s wrong? Is -”

Frisks interrupts him by signing.  The baby is coming and she told me to come get you. 

Oh man. Sans’ magic lurches, and he feels like he’s about to throw up. This is happening. He’s going to be a dad. All his anxieties and fears are bubbling up to the surface, but he pushes them back down. He needs to be there for you.

“O-okay kid, gimme a minute,” he says. He turns to one of the Core scientists, who gives him a look of understanding.

“We have this covered, Sans,” she says. “Go.”

He doesn’t have to be told twice. The words are barely out of her mouth before he’s teleported away, to be at your side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright folks! Tomorrow I am off to Europe!! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures to post to my main tumblr [(rosesandspades713)](http://rosesandspades713.tumblr.com) when I get back, so you guys can look at that if you want to!
> 
> While I'm gone, I want you guys to leave a comment as to what you want the baby name to be. I already have the gender picked out, but I'm not telling you guys! I'll go with whatever has the highest votes for the gender I chose.
> 
> Remember: vote Callista/Lily for a girl and David/Corbin for a boy! Pick one of each, because you never know what gender I'll pick!


	5. we find our worth in giving birth and stuff (PART FOUR)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The baby is finally here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD GUYS
> 
> Oh my god it was SO MUCH FUN. France and Italy are pretty cool countries, man. 10/10 would visit again. 
> 
> Although my feet hurt and I don't really want to move for the next, well, forever.
> 
> I wrote this on the plane ride home after finishing my AP Calc stuff so hopefully it's quality? *shrugs*

When Sans arrives in the living room, the sight he finds is anything but pretty. You’re lying down on the couch that’s been pushed out from the wall and covered in sheets and blankets from the linen closet. You’re sweating and letting out small whimpers of pain. It makes his soul ache. Toriel is standing above you, coaching you through what’s happening. 

Sans takes a step towards you as you finally catch sight of him. Your face, riddled with agony and anxiety, calms down and shifts to a happier expression. 

“Hey,” you say, a little breathless. “G-Glad you could make it.”

He reaches down to brush some hair off your warm face. “Of course, sweetheart. Couldn’t leave you feeling  _ bonely. _ ”

This gets a chuckle out of both you and Toriel, but it doesn’t last for long, as you gasp and bite your lip to keep from yelling out as, Sans assumes, you get hit with another contraction. 

“ _ Fuck! _ ” you say through clenched teeth. “Tori, how much longer is this going to last?”

Toriel leans over the foot of the bed. “I am sorry to say that it may still be a while yet, dear.”

You slam your head back into the pillows underneath you, groaning. “This baby is going to be the death of me.”

Sans tries to provide you some comfort, rubbing his thumb into your temple. You close your eyes, leaning into his touch. He focuses on your face to try to get rid of the anxiety churning and bubbling through his magic. Everything is fine. You’re okay, the baby is okay, they’ll be out soon, and then he’ll be a dad. 

He better start working on his jokes. 

“Just hold tight, sweetheart,” he says to you, voice not betraying his own volatile emotions. “We’re gonna be okay.”

“I know,” you say. “Everything is going to be fine in a little while.”

* * *

 

In a little while, everything is  _ not  _ fine. Everything hurts, you’re sweating buckets, and you can barely catch a break between contractions at this point. You’re breathing hard, and the only thought that reverberates through your brain is  _ why oh why did I ever decide to have a baby _ . 

Sans is getting increasingly nervous, especially as the hours have dragged on. Papyrus and Undyne are back from work by now, but they’re staying out of the house with Frisk. They stopped by to see you and wish you luck, and to tell them the second your baby arrives. But now it’s just you, Sans, and Toriel in your living room. And you can see Sans’ face tighten up every time you make any sound of pain. You're clutching onto his hand, and every time a contraction comes it feels like you’re squeezing the dust out of it. But if that causes him any pain, he doesn't show it. He is just sitting there, waiting, being your rock, your source of comfort. God, you love him so much. 

Toriel places a hand on your shoulder. “It won’t be long now, dear,” she says. “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if your child comes within the hour.”

You nod, breathing out a sigh of relief. You are  _ so  _ ready to bring this baby into the world. You’ve always heard your mom say that all the pain and all the waiting was worth it, just to hold you in her arms. You hope to the gods above that it feels the same way for you. 

“Are you ready, Sans?” you ask, smiling up at him. “You’re about to be a dad.”

He presses his teeth to your forehead. “And you’re about to be the best mom ever.”

You laugh. “Way to one-up me, sweetie.”

It’s about forty five minutes later when you feel it. The big one. 

“I can see the head,” Toriel says, as calm as ever. This must not be her first time acting as a midwife. “I am going to ask you to push now.”

You nod, closing your eyes and exhaling through your mouth. Bracing yourself, you get a better grip on Sans’s hand and grab hold of the corner of one of the blankets. Then you push. 

It’s a feeling unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. You manage to separate yourself from the pain, focusing solely on Sans’ face and Toriel’s voice, trying desperately to lose yourself and disconnect from your body. You don’t know how long this goes on, and you can barely register Sans’ murmurs of encouragement and Toriel’s instructions. It feels like this will never end, that you’ll be stuck in a limbo of pushing and anticipation forever, when finally…

“Here we go, the head’s out,” Toriel says, as you push one last time. You feel something leave you and a strange sense of emptiness descends upon you. Your brain is still a little fuzzy from the pain you’ve just endured. But suddenly, the piercing, unmistakeable cry of a baby cuts through the air, and you snap out of it. 

“Oh, here you are,” Toriel says, her voice gentle. “Yes, hello child.”

“Tori,” you croak, your voice weak. “Is—can I?”

You try to sit up but Sans has to help you, and when you’re a little more upright, you can see the baby in Toriel’s arms. Your baby. 

“She’s beautiful, Toriel says.”

“She?” Sans says, his voice cracking. Your heart leaps in your chest. 

“, you’ve given birth to a beautiful baby girl,” Toriel says, tilting her up so you can see better. She looks so small in Toriel’s large arms. Your baby is covered in blood and other bodily fluids, but you can still see just how gorgeous she is. She’s perfect, and it brings tears to your eyes. 

“May I wash her off?” Toriel asks. “I will clean her and be back in a few moments.”

“O-okay,” you say, your voice thick. “Yeah. That would be good.”

Toriel walks away cradling your baby in her arms, and once she’s out of sight, you turn to look at Sans, who’s staring after them. 

“Sans,” you say to call his attention. His gaze shoots down to lock with yours. “Oh Sans, honey, she's  _ beautiful _ .”

He nods, and you can see he’s a little speechless. But he’s smiling wide, and you can see the warmth in those tiny pinpricks of light deep within his eyesockets. 

“We made her.” Even saying it out loud, even after what you’ve just been through, it almost doesn't seem possible. “We made a beautiful little baby.”

“Heh, yeah,” he chokes out, his voice catching. “Holy shit, we made a little person and she’s  _ perfect. _ ”

Toriel was right, she’s back from the kitchen very soon, with a bundle of blankets wrapped in her arms. When you see her you sit up a little more and hold your arms out. Toriel smiles gently and deposits your baby in your arms. Once you have her secure against your chest, Toriel stands up straight. “I will give you some alone time now. I’ll be next door if you need me.” 

With that she leaves, and you and Sans are along with your daughter. 

“Oh, look at her!” you say. You can’t take your eyes off of her. She’s so calm now, no trace of her earlier crying. Her eyes are open, and she’s looking right up at you. You place a small kiss on her forehead, and relish in the soft feeling of her skin. 

You feel Sans’ hand on your shoulder and you turn around to look at him, your heart melting at what you see. 

He is staring, absolutely captivated by the child in your arms. You can see the softness in his expression, read every minor emotion splayed out on his face for the world to see. He is so proud, so thankful, so  _ happy,  _ and you love it. 

“Do you want to hold her?” you ask, smiling when you’re met with a fast, small nod. “Okay, here. Remember to support the head!” You pass her over, showing him where to put his arms. You see a blue light surround a chair, dragging it over next to the couch, and Sans sits down in it, cradling your daughter oh so carefully. 

“Hey, baby girl,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper. “Look at you, huh? You’re so pretty, just like your mom. You’re pretty small like her, too.”

“I am not that small!” you say for what feels like the millionth time. “Sans, we’re the same height.”

“Sure, sweetheart.” He still hasn’t taken his eyes off of her. “But hey baby, I’m your dad, okay? That cool with you?” She makes a little noise that sounds like a laugh, and Sans looks at you like he’s won the lottery. “Oh hell yeah. I’m gonna be the best damn dad ever, baby. Just you wait.”

He is so happy, just like you knew he’d be. This dad thing seems to come naturally to him, as he cradles your daughter in his arms, making cooing noises and brushing his thumb against her forehead. 

After a few minutes of this, you speak again. “She still needs a name. Sans, what do you—”

“Callista,” he interrupts you. “Her name is Callista. It's perfect for her.”

You can’t help but agree as you look down into your daughter’s beautiful face. “Callista it is.”

Sans starts rocking her from side to side, and she yawns a little. 

“She must be pretty tired,” you say. “Don’t know why, I mean it’s not like  _ she  _ had to do any work.”

Sans grins at you, and then looks back down at Callista. You can see the cogs turning in his skull. This can’t be good. 

“Well hello, Pretty Tired. I’m Dad.”

Oh no. “Sans, isn’t it a little early for the dad jokes?”

He just looks at you. “Are you kidding me, babe? It is  _ never  _ too early for dad jokes. Besides, Callista liked it, didn’t you?”

You look down at her and can’t help but notice how much fun she seems to be having in her dad’s arms. Traitor. 

The two of you take turns holding your baby for the next half-hour or so until Toriel returns...with Frisk, Papyrus, and Undyne following. When they come inside, Sans has to shush them. You’re holding Callista, and she’s sound asleep. But he beckons for them to come over to the couch and see her. 

“Is the baby okay?” Papyrus asks, coming right up to you. You nod and tilt her so he can see her. Papyrus’ face lights up at the sight. 

“Her name is Callista,” you say. 

“Callista!” Papyrus exclaims. You put your finger to your lips to remind him to be quiet. “Oh, sorry!” he says. “Callista!” he tries again in an overexaggerated whisper. “You are such a small baby! I am your uncle, the Great Papyrus, and once you are old enough, I will teach you to cook like the masters!”

You shoot a glance at Sans, who’s beaming ear to ear. Looking back to Papyrus, you can see he’s absolutely enamored by Callista. “Do you want to hold her?” you ask. 

Papyrus looks shocked. “C-can I?”

You smile gently. “Only if you promise not to drop her, okay?”

Papyrus nods vigorously and you have to stifle a giggle. “Here,” you say, patting the couch next to you. Sans took the gross sheets off once you cleaned yourself up a little bit, and now the couch functions normally again. Papyrus takes a seat, and you pass Callista over to him, showing him how to properly support her neck. 

“Hello!” he whispers, rocking her gently back and forth. She’s staying asleep, which you think is probably a good thing. 

While Papyrus is busy, Frisk and Undyne come closer to get a better look. 

“Are human kids always that tiny?” Undyne asks, furrowing an eyebrow. “Seems a little scrawny to me.”

“I could go into the intricacies of human biology if you want, Undyne, but I’m not going to,” you say. “Basically, babies come out before they’re fully developed. That’s why they’re so dependent on other people for so long. But yeah. They’re usually pretty small.”

Can I be her cousin?  Frisk signs. You smile. 

“Heck yeah, Frisk! You’ll be the best babysitter-slash-cousin Callista could ever have.”

Everyone takes a turn holding the baby, including Toriel again, before she is handed back to you. This is a good thing, because not three minutes after you get her back, she’s awake. And crying. 

“I think she might be hungry,” you say. 

“Hi Hungry, I’m-”

“Sans, no!” you say. You look at everyone in the room. “I need to, uh, feed her.”

Toriel at least gets the message and shoos everyone out of the room but you and Sans, leaving you alone with your daughter once more. You know how to breastfeed a baby, so you lift up your shirt and get Callista to start drinking. While she's feeding you start to hum a song you’ve heard on the radio. Once she’s finished, you pull your shirt back down and send Sans to call everyone back into the room. 

You all talk for a while, but you’re staring to zone out. It’s been an exausting day, and all you want to do is crawl into bed and sleep for days. So a little after 5 PM, you and Sans send everyone (except Papyrus) home, and you start getting ready for bed. Callista’s crib is set up at the foot of your bed already, so all you need to do is get her dressed in her special pajamas that Toriel gave you and set her down, hoping she sleeps. 

You’re a little hesitant to just fall asleep, but Sans squashes your worries. 

“I’ll get up with her,” he says. “Sleep, sweetheart. You did a lot of work today.”

You take him at his word and collapse into your bed. You’re asleep within minutes.

* * *

 

Sans cannot stop marveling at his daughter. Ever since you fell asleep, for well over an hour now, he has been standing at the side of Callista’s cradle, watching over her and keeping her safe. 

He never though he would make it here. Hell, for a long time, he never thought he’d escape the resets. But then they stopped, and now he’s out of the Underground. He met you, fell in love with you,  _ married  _ you, and now he has a daughter. A beautiful baby girl. 

Sometimes he still wakes up in the middle of the night, bones rattling from a nightmare that makes him think it's all over, that he’s lost everything. But when he wakes up next to you, he knows everything is going to be okay. And now he’s got another, much smaller way to remember that his life is so, so much better than what he ever imagined it could be. 

Callista makes a small noise, and as he watches she opens her eyes. He freezes and stands there, watching, but she doesn’t fall asleep again. She starts making more noises, and he’s worried she’s going to start crying and wake you up. So he scoops her up without a second thought, and walks out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and out into the backyard. 

It’s a warm night, even for August. It’s quiet, too, except for the occasional car passing by. Sans takes a seat on one of the deck chairs and looks up at the star-riddled sky. 

“Look at that, kiddo,” he says down to Callista, who’s stopped fussing so much. “See all that up there? Those are stars, and planets, and galaxies. The whole universe, right up there!” Looking into her eyes, he can see the light from some of the brighter stars reflected in them. “You know, I heard once that everything in the universe came from the Big Bang. Know what that means? Means we’re all made of starstuff. You, me, your mom, Uncle Paps, Tori, Asgore, Frisk, Alph, Undyne, everybody. That’s pretty cool, huh?”

He doesn't get a response, but he’s not expecting to. It’s good enough just to sit out here and stargaze with his daughter. When she’s old enough, he can teach her everything he knows about the night sky. Maybe she’ll go on to discover even more. 

“Oh, kid,” he says, looking up at Orion in the sky above. “You're gonna grow up with a lot of people who care about you. Never forget that, okay?”

She hiccups and he takes that for an answer. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god I love writing from Sans' point of view.
> 
> oh. related. you know how the word for "without" in French is "sans"?
> 
> Well, in a store by the Louvre in Paris there was a sign on an emergency exit or something that just read SANS ISSUE. So I tapped my friend on the shoulder and pointed it out to her, saying "This is what I have. A Sans Issue."
> 
> She thought it was hilarious. I took a picture of that sign and I will cherish it always.


	6. staredown between the sun and the moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Sans try to play Portal 2. Takes place way before Callista was born.
> 
> Chapter title from "The Pantaloon" by twenty one pilots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting from my phone, sorry for any mistakes. 
> 
> This was a fun prompt!

“What’s it called again?”

“Portal 2! You’re not seriously telling me you’ve never heard of it, Sans.”

He shrugs at you from the other side of the couch, and you have to keep yourself from rolling your eyes. “It’s not like the first thing I did after getting out of the Underground was catch up on all the latest video games.”

“Well that’s a shame,” you say as you brandish the game case in front of him. “This one’s pretty good. It’s a lot of fun, too.” Before he can respond, you take the disk out of the case and pop it into your Xbox. When the green light turns on, you grab the controllers, turn them on, and throw one to Sans. You take your seat on the couch back, and navigate the game menu. You’ve played through the single player campaign several times, but you’ve never tried the multiplayer campaign before. As it loads, you grin over at Sans.

This is going to be so much fun.

* * *

 

“Goddammit, Sans. _Stand on the fucking button.”_

You watch in agony as his blue bot jumps around, makes gestures, does everything except standing on the button.

“Why should I do that,” he says, a teasing lilt in his voice as he places one portal in the ceiling above him and one in the floor below him, “when I can do _this_!”

He jumps through the portal below him and you watch the cascade begin on his screen as his bot whips between the two portals in a never ending free fall.

“I hate you so much,” you say, burying your face in the couch cushion. “Can we _please_ just focus and finish the stupid chamber? We’re not even halfway through the first _course_.”

Sans laughs, and moves his bot out of the nauseating loop. “Aw, come on, babe. I thought you said this game was one of your favorites!”

You glare at him. “Sure, when I don’t have to depend on a bonehead like you to do something so simple as standing on a button! I’ve only done single player, this is weird.”

“Do you want to quit?”

“ _Never_.”

Sans chuckles at your vehemence, and finally, _finally_ , stands on the stupid button. The path in front of you opens up, and you rush towards it...until it closes right in front of you.

“Sans.”

He grins at you. “Oh, you wanted me to _stay_ there? Well why didn’t you say so?”

You slap him on the shoulder. “Of course I wanted you to stay there, you idiot! Go back there.”

He shrugs. “Okay, okay, calm down.” He stands on the button, and allows you to pass through the door.

“ _Thank_ you,” you say. “Was that really so hard?”

* * *

 

A few rooms later, Sans is messing around with the orange goo and coating as much of the puzzle as possible with it.

“This isn’t helping,” you say as you slide off into the murky water for what feels like the millionth time. “Why did I ever think this was going to be a good idea?”

“Hey, I’m having a _great_ time,” Sans says as he bounces off of some blue goo. “This game is awesome.”

You let out a huff, as an idea forms in your brain. You know one surefire way to get Sans to stop being so...Sans.

“PAPYRUS!” you cry at the top of your lungs. Not ten seconds pass before he barrels into the room, scarf billowing behind him.

“You called?” he asks, striking a heroic pose. You stifle a laugh before putting on a pouty face.

“Sans is being mean to me,” you say. “He won’t play this puzzle game the right way.” Sans shoots you a look of utter betrayal and you stick your tongue out at him. Serves him right for being a jerk.

Papyrus, meanwhile, is appalled. “Sans!” he exclaims, wheeling around to face him. “How dare you disrespect the sanctity of something as wonderful as a puzzle? I am utterly ashamed of you! Apologize at once!”

You cock an eyebrow as you look Sans right in the eyesockets. “Yeah, Sans. Apologize.”

He scowls at you. “Ugh, I’m sorry.”

Papyrus seems satisfied. “Good! Now , you say this is a puzzle...game?”

You grin. “That’s right, Pap! You have these guns that shoot out portals, and you have to use them to solve puzzles! There’s other things too, like lasers and special goo that makes you go fast, or bounce.”

He plops down on the couch next to you. “Wowie! That sounds like so much fun!”

“You want to play?” you ask, handing over your controller. “You can show Sans how to do it right.”

“I would be honored!” he says. You switch places with him so you can sit in the middle, and you lean back and relax as the brothers solve Glados’ ridiculous puzzles together. It works out a lot better than when you were trying to solve them; Papyrus is both great at puzzle solving and motivating Sans to work with him. As you watch them work together, a fond smile forms on your face. They really make a great team.

“Sans, look! My robot is waving at yours!”

You look at the screen, and sure enough, Papyrus’ orange bot is trying awfully hard to get the attention of Sans’ blue one.

Sans whispers in your ear, “How do I wave back?”

Smiling, you show him on the controller and he presses the right button to wave back. Papyrus gasps in delight and the brothers spend the next few minutes going through all the different actions.

They’re being adorable and you love it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, requests are great!!


	7. twisting the kaleidoscope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's your day off, and you decide to take the boys somewhere you think is cool as heck.
> 
> Takes place ~2 years BC (before Callista)
> 
> Chapter title from "Holding On To You" by twenty one pilots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry this took so long! My life has been super hectic lately. My prom was on Saturday, and I actually had a date, so I actually tried to look nice. Then yesterday I was busy for a few hours in the middle of the day and I had to write an essay on The Poisonwood Bible. It's a great book, but the essay took a while to write. 
> 
> My life is about to get even more hectic than it already is, so until after my AP exams updates will be pretty sporadic. Everything should return to relative normalcy for me after May 10th, the day of the AP Gov test. Thank you for being patient with me as I get through these trying times!

On the first Monday of every month, the city does something pretty special. It’s a day where all the museums, zoos, aquariums, and historical sites open for free. Something about “promoting the local culture”, you read on the city website. Whatever. That doesn’t matter. What  _ does  _ matter, however, is that museums and the like are super fun. Which is why, on the first Monday of May, you force both Sans and Papyrus to take the day off with you so you can go on a tour of the famous Myrrhan Mansion, the city’s oldest and most glamorous historical site. 

Also, there were some murders there in the 1970s, and you want to see the scene of the crime. 

“How’d you find out about this place, anyway?” Sans asks as you drive down the winding, immaculate front lawn. “Seems a little obscure.”

“Julie worked here a few summers back,” you say, scanning the trees in an attempt to see the mansion behind them. “She told me all about how cool it is.” You drive for another minute or so before you finally see it. “Look! There it is!”

The mansion is beautiful, and you can tell in an instant that the pictures on the website will never do it justice. The gravel lot next to the garden is already filling up, and you’re glad you thought ahead and got tickets online. Looks like you’re not the only ones to take advantage of the free day. 

“Look at the flowers!” Papyrus exclaims after you’ve parked and left the car. “They’re very fancy.” He goes over to smell them and you’re grateful to see one of the mansion gardeners come over to talk to him about what the plants are. Things really seem to be getting better for monsterkind in your city.  

“This whole  _ place  _ is fancy,” Sans says. “How many people lived here, anyway?”

You think for a second. “I read online that the mansion’s owner and his wife lived here with their...I want to say six children? They adopted an orphan too, I think.”

He lets out a low whistle. “Seven kids? You sure this place wasn’t owned by rabbits?”

“That’s how it used to be, back then. Humans used to have a lot of kids because lots of them would die before they were even five years old. My great grandmother was one of eleven kids.”

He shakes his head. “That poor mom.”

You laugh. “That was before birth control was a thing, too. So every time a husband and wife wanted to have a little fun, there was always a chance that a baby would come out of it. I’m also pretty sure that people only had sex to uh, have babies.”

“Well that’s boring.”

You shrug. “Just a fact of life back then. I mean, when this mansion was built, women couldn’t even vote. Men thought all we were good for was raising children and being housewives.”

He stops short, and turns to face you. “Wait, really?”

“Yeah!” Oh man, you could go on about the history of women struggling for their rights for  _ years.  _ “Like, for pretty much the entirety of the history of Western civilization women have been seen as the weaker, gentler gender.”

“Why?”

You have never had this opportunity before. Never have you talked about women’s rights with a man who hasn’t grown up with sexism as a norm. This is exciting!

“That’s the million dollar question,” you respond. “There’s a bunch of different reasons and I’d love to get into all of them with you but Papyrus is captivated by those rose bushes and our tour starts in ten minutes.”

With that, you table this conversation for another day and go fetch Papyrus.

* * *

 

“Welcome to the historic Myrrhan Mansion,” the tour guide begins. “My name is Clara, and I will be your guide for the next hour and a half. Please follow me, and don’t be afraid to ask any questions.”

She starts walking from the far edge of the garden, which serves as the tour start. The group—composed of you, the brothers, a couple of teenage girls and an older couple—follows her. “The mansion was built in 1905 to house Robert Jacobson, his wife Isabelle, and their family. Robert and Isabelle had six children together, but they also raised Isabelle’s nephew Nathan, who was orphaned at the age of six. Construction was completed in August 1908 but the family moved in a few months before the finishing touches were made.”

She stops right in front of the doors, and reaches out to touch the frame. “The mansion is in almost perfect condition, thanks in a large part to donations and the work of the local chapter of the Historical Society. If you’ll follow me, we can head inside and see the dining room.”

You all do just that, careful to mind the step. Looking behind you, you see that Papyrus has to duck to fit under the door. 

“Why are these doors so small?” Papyrus stage whispers. 

“People weren’t as tall back then,” you say. “You’re pretty tall by current-day human standards; back then you would have been a  _ giant.” _

_ “ _ Oh.” Papyrus looks a little sad that he missed that opportunity. You pat his arm in reassurance. 

“Don’t worry,” you say. “You’re still the Great Papyrus to me. Giant or not.”

He beams at this, and you hear Sans let out a chuckle from next to you. 

The guide takes you through the first floor of the house, droning on about the style of the architecture and furniture. Personally, you couldn’t care less. You just think all this stuff looks cool as heck. 

Once you make a loop of the ground floor, the guide takes you up the stairs, which creak loudly with every step. The second floor has a few bedrooms, and this is where things get  _ really  _ cool. A lot of the house has been left in the same condition as when it was occupied, so you can see a lot of the Jacobson family’s things sitting out in each room, including a weathered bookshelf in the master bedroom, full of books with yellowing pages. You see Sans’ interest pique when the guide mentions Robert’s penchant for reading, and you elbow him in the side. Nerd. 

The third floor has more bedrooms, but it also has something spectacular: a small observatory. Your breath is taken away when you step into the room, covered by a glass ceiling and surrounded on three sides by floor-to-ceiling windows. There are more bookshelves in this room, but you can see they’re filled with maps and star charts. The focal piece of the room, however, is a massive telescope, its lens facing up at a 45 degree angle. You can see how this room would have a breathtaking view of the stars at night.

“This is Sophie Jacobson’s observatory,” Clara says. “She was Robert’s eldest child, and showed at an early age an interest in astronomy. Her father funded this room out of his own money, and she spent most of her time here. She made detailed observations, marking them on the charts you see in the bookshelf behind you.”

Sans looks back over at the bookshelf, and you laugh to yourself as you see his fingers twitch, itching to take a closer look. You take his hand in your own and squeeze, sticking your tongue out at him when he faces you. 

“Those of you who know a little more about the mansion’s history may be wondering where the murder of Sophie Jacobson and her maid occurred,” Clara says, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “Well, it took place in this room. Sophie was finishing up some notes on the summer’s constellations when her assailant snuck up behind her. According to testimony, she never saw it coming.

Papyrus comes up next to you. “Someone was... _ killed  _ here?”

You nod, grinning. “Yeah. Someone  _ really  _ wanted to rob the house.

Clara tips her head in your direction. “Precisely. Sophie and her maid were the last occupants of the mansion, and after their deaths and the resulting investigation, the house was turned over to the city. The rest, as they say, is history.”

The tour concludes, and Clara leads the group back downstairs and into the gift shop. You buy a book on the murders, Sans gets a copy of Sophie’s star charts, and Papyrus buys the small stuffed dog replica of the Jacobsons’ pet cocker spaniel, Nellie (“It’s so FLUFFY!”).

Purchases in hand, the three of you head back home, heads filled with visions of the past.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myrrhan Mansion is based off of Glensheen Mansion in Duluth, Minnesota. I've always wanted to go there, but every time we're in Duluth we're too busy to take the time to go on a tour. But the family that lived there, the Congdons, had six children as well as the nephew, and the eldest daughter, Elizabeth, was murdered. Apparently, the tour guides weren't allowed to talk about the murder until just a few years ago. When my cousins went on the tour, their guide got really pissy when they asked him about it.
> 
> So next chapter I want to do something with Callista. Y'all should give me ideas. I have a few ideas in my phone, but it's always fun to see what you guys think I should do! See you next time!


	8. i can't take them on my own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callista already learned how to walk. She decides she needs another way to move around.
> 
> At this point, she's a little over a year old.
> 
> Chapter title is from "The Run and Go" by twenty one pilots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so fun to write oh man
> 
> I love children so much.

Being a first-time mom is hard enough on its own. You’ve seen friends and cousins with their children, having to run around and chase them because the little rascals won’t stop moving. At least  _ those  _ parents don’t have children that can  _ fly.  _

The first time it happened, you nearly had a heart attack. It was a week after Callista took her first steps, and you were careful to watch her for wobbly feet every time she stood up. But one day, while Sans was still at work, she just up and started floating three feet above the ground. 

“ _ Callista!”  _ you had screamed once you noticed. The noise startled her, and the cerulean magic surrounding her dissipated as she fell towards the ground. Without thinking, you dove forward, catching her safe in your arms but skinning up your knees in the process. Needless to say, Sans was  _ very  _ surprised when he came home. 

“She was just...floating?”

You were bouncing Callista on your hip, not daring to put her down again. “Yes! I looked up and there she was, floating three feet above the ground! I, uh,” here you look down at the ground in shame, “I yelled at her, and then she fell. But I caught her!”

Sans had nodded distractedly, and took her from you, holding her out in front of him so they were at eye level with each other. 

“Dad!” she said excitedly, reaching out to touch his face. Your heart would have melted if it weren’t for how worried you were. 

“Whatcha doin’, sweetheart?” Sans had said to her, trying but failing to look stern. “You gotta wait until I teach you before you start using magic, okay?”

She had giggled, and you knew she missed the point. 

This leads you into the events of today. 

“That’s it, Callie, c’mon!” Sans cheers as your daughter moves from your lap to Sans’ in his chair, just by floating. When she bumps into him he laughs and scoops her up into his arms. You’re proud of her too, but there’s a nagging thought in the back of your brain. How can you ever catch up with a kid who can float at will?

“Why can she float?” you ask Sans, who’s tickling Callista under her chin. He looks up at you, head tilted. “I mean, you can’t float, right?”

“Dunno,” he says, standing up and moving over to the couch next to you, taking Callista with him. “Never tried. I prefer to use my magic to move things other than myself.”

“Is that what you think it is? Some form of telekinesis?” 

He shrugs. “Maybe. But magic’s a little different for everyone. At least she isn’t summoning bones, or spears, like Undyne can.”

“What could you do at her age?” 

Once again, he shrugs. “Little hard for me to remember back that far. But I know Callie’ll pick this stuff up quickly. She’ll be just like her ol’ man.” 

“You’re not  _ that  _ old,” you say, hitting him in the shoulder. “At least it's just one thing. Can’t wait until she starts changing channels with her magic, or doing something else like you do.  _ That  _ should be fun.” Your voice drips with sarcasm. 

“We’ll deal with that as it comes,” he says, setting Callista down on the floor in front of the couch. As you watch, she toddles over to a sock (at least she’s not  _ completely  _ relying on floating to move) and picks it up, before coming back over to the two of you and laying the sock on Sans’ leg. 

“Bad!” she yells. 

It takes a second to register, but when it does, you and Sans both explode into laughter. Callista looks extremely pleased with herself. As your laughter dies down you pick her up and bounce her up and down on your lap. 

“That’s right, sweetie!” you say. “Daddy needs to learn how to pick up after himself so Mom and Uncle Pap don’t have to, huh?”

“I’m being slandered!” Sans cries, still laughing a little. He doesn’t make a move to do anything with the sock. “C’mon Callie, you’re supposed to back me up on this!”

Your daughter’s only response is to pick the sock up off his leg and throw it at him. Before you know it, it becomes a game. Once she throws the sock, Sans will hand it back to her just so she can throw it again. This goes on for quite some time, and you only call it off when your sides are in stitches from laughing so hard. 

This is how Papyrus finds you when he gets home from Undyne and Alphys’. 

“What foolishness are you three getting up to today?” he asks as he comes in through the front door. Sans is still laughing and you’re afraid you’ll bust out again if you try to explain so it’s up to Callista to inform her uncle of what you’ve been doing. 

“Bad!” she yells again, holding the sock triumphantly in her hand. Papyrus’ face changes from confusion, to comprehension, and finally to pure, unadulterated joy. 

“YES!” he shouts, picking her up and swinging her around. “Yes, Sans’ habit of leaving his socks everywhere is TERRIBLE! I am glad someone FINALLY agrees with me!”

You finally recover from your laughing fit and gaze up at the two of them with adoration in your eyes. It's amazing, you think, how easily Callista has captivated everyone around her. Maybe, you think with a wry smile, that’s just another way she uses her magic. 

As you watch them, you feel a hand resting on your knee and when you look over at Sans, you see him looking at you with the same admiration. His eyes, despite being simple pinpricks of light, are alive with emotion. Instinctively, you lean in for a slow, soft kiss. It’s amazing to you, how you can still be so in love with him every day of your life. But then again, you think as you feel his hand ghost over your knee, maybe it’s not something amazing, but something right. There’s no doubt in your mind that you and Sans were made for each other, as cheesy as that sounds. 

“Are you two quite finished yet?”

You and Sans break apart in a second, and your mind refocuses on the here and now. You look up at Papyrus and Callista with sheepish eyes. 

“Sorry Pap, I can take her back now,” you say, reaching out your arms. Callista must want to come back to you as well, as she strains in Papyrus’ arms to reach you. 

“Mama!” she says contentedly once you’re holding her again. You smile down at her and twist her around so she’s sitting in your lap, looking out onto the living room. While she’s sitting there, you run your fingers through her hair. It’s getting pretty long; she might need a haircut soon. Papyrus sits down on the other chair in the living room, and an idea forms in your head.

“Hey Pap, Callista learned a new trick today, and I bet she’d love to show you.”

He leans forward with interest, and you grin at Sans, who’s caught on to your plan. You hoist Callista up by her waist, so she’s standing up on your legs. 

“Ask her to come to you, bro,” Sans says. 

Papyrus’ face scrunches up in confusion, but he complies. “Hello Callista! Come here and see your Uncle Papyrus!” He holds his arms out, and you feel a slight thrumming coming from your daughter. It’s not quite a vibration, it’s more subtle than that, but it feels like an electric current running through her small body. As you look at her, you see that cerulean blue sheen you recognize as the color of her soul and magic form around her. She begins to tug out or your grip, and you let her go, watching as she floats freely and easily over to her uncle. Papyrus is dumbstruck as Callista lands on his lap, the blue sheen disappearing.

“Pap!” she says when he doesn’t immediately grab onto her. Her voice shakes him out of his stupor, and he reaches for her, holding her up so she looks down at him.

“WOWIE!” he exclaims, beaming with pride. “Look at you! You are so good at magic! I am so proud of you!” Callista is laughing; she loves playing with Papyrus. 

He turns to the two of you. “How did she learn how to do that?”

“She just...did it,” you say. “We’ve been helping her control it better. I’m a little nervous about it, but we’ve been really careful.”

Papyrus nods, and focuses back on Callista, who’s pulling at his shirt. “I will help you learn, too! You will become the best magic user in the world...except maybe for me.”

If Callista understands what her uncle is saying to her, she doesn’t show it, instead letting out a big yawn.

“Aw, are you tired baby girl?” you ask, standing up to take her from Papyrus. You hoist her up and prop her up against your chest, so she nestles her face into your shoulder. “It’s about time for a nap, isn't it?” You head up the stairs, turning around to look at the brothers. “I’ll be right back.”

Upstairs, you walk past the nearly-finished bedroom meant for Callista and into your bedroom. The work on it is almost complete; all that’s left to do is paint the walls and move her bassinet inside. For now, however, she still sleeps at the foot of your bed. You lay her down, noting that she’s already asleep. All the magic use must really be tiring her out. You make sure the baby monitor is working and go back downstairs, casting your gaze over your sleeping child. 

You hope she sleeps well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Send me those requests! I have an idea for the next chapter lined up, but if any requests speak to me, I'll probably hammer those out first.


	9. play pretend, give each other different names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk comes over to babysit Callista while you and Sans go out on a date.
> 
> Chapter title is from "Stressed Out" by twenty one pilots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was really fun and cute to write!

“If there’s any trouble, just text me, okay? We’re not going to be that far away, and Sans can get us home in a jiffy.”

I know! 

“And she just woke up from her nap, so she should be nice and awake for a while. Dinner for both of you is in the fridge, don’t be afraid to text me if you have any questions about it!”

Okay, Auntie.

“And she should be in bed by 8:30, but not before 8, okay? She’ll wake up too early if she goes to bed before 8.”

I got it! I understand!

You take a deep breath and give Frisk a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I know you know. It’s just different, going out without Callista. I’m so used to being with her all the time.”

That’s true. Ever since she was born, Callista has hardly ever been out of your reach. Once your maternity leave was over, you took her to work with you. The other employees at the bakery fell in love with her immediately, and having her with you has always kept you at ease. Now, to celebrate you and Sans’ fifth anniversary, you’re going out for a date night, without her. You never forgot the promise you made to Frisk about them being her babysitter, which is why they’re now standing in front of you. Callista is on the floor, playing with some blocks, and you smile down at her. She’ll be fine. You trust Frisk.

Sans pops out from behind the corner, dressed in a navy button down shirt and slacks. He told you you’re going to a semi-formal restaurant, and so you’re dressed nicer than usual as well. You’re wearing a dark green dress that goes just past your knees with a cardigan to stay warm. It’s still cold in April. 

“All set?” Sans asks, looking between you and Frisk. You both nod.

“We’re good,” you say. Sans walks up to you and wraps an arm around your waist. You lean into him gladly.

“Make sure she’s in bed by 8-”

“They know, Sans,” you interrupt. You bend down to look Callista in the eyes. “Mommy and Daddy are going out to dinner, okay? So you’re gonna hang out with Frisk tonight. Is that okay?”

Her eyes light up at the mention of her babysitter. She stands up and waddles over to them, wrapping herself around their leg. “Fis! Fis!” she cries. “Up!”

You smile as Frisk bends down to pick her up. Callista has always been a big fan of her big cousin. “Don’t have  _ too  _ much fun, you two.” You walk up to Callista and give her a peck on the cheek. Sans ruffles her hair, and then Frisk’s for good measure. Laughing at their indignant expression, you wave goodbye one last time before you and Sans head outside to the car, looking forward to a fun night ahead.

Callista and Frisk  _ will  _ be fine, won’t they?

* * *

 

When Frisk got a text from you, asking to babysit, they had to resist punching the air in celebration. Finally,  _ finally,  _ they could do what any self-respecting older cousin  _ should  _ do. 

They’re not stressed about this at all. Being the most famous human among monsters has its perks, including being a babysitter for the entire town’s population. They’ve had a  _ ton  _ of practice dealing with errant magic, so anything Callista can dish up, they can handle. Besides, from what you and Sans have said, all they have to watch out for is some floating. They can deal with floating. 

After you and Sans leave, Frisk is still holding Callista, who is occupying herself by pulling on their hair. Frisk isn’t mad; at least she hasn’t set their hair on fire. Grillby gave them free fries for a month after  _ that  _ particular incident. 

After a minute, Frisk sets her down and takes a seat on the couch. Callista’s too young to need a constant source of entertainment; she can still entertain herself pretty easily. Frisk decides it’s okay to pass the time until dinner with some movies. They know your Disney collection is pretty extensive, and those movies are generally pretty safe for a one-year-old to watch. They choose Peter Pan to start off with, and give up on trying to get Callista to sit on the couch when she tries to throw a block at them. Can’t win them all, they suppose. 

Everything is going just fine until the part of the movie where Peter is teaching the Darlings how to fly. Frisk notices Callista watching the screen with rapt attention, and they see her brow furrow in concentration. They realize what’s about to happen the second before she rises up from the ground, her body clothed in blue magic. She floats up, and starts to fly around the room like the characters on the screen. Frisk isn’t sure if they should try to stop her or what, so they watch her like a hawk for any sign that her magic is giving out.

Soon, they see the blue sheen fade, and they reach out and pluck her straight from the air, earning a delightful giggle from the little troublemaker. Relieved that nothing bad happened, Frisk takes a seat on the couch again, Callista secured tightly in their lap.

Maybe they shouldn’t be watching movies where people fly.

* * *

 

By the time you and Sans arrive at a fancy new restaurant a few towns over, you’ve gotten mostly used to the idea of leaving Callista at home. It’s certainly different, not having her at your side. You half expect to hear her crying out for attention at any given moment. But no. It’s just you and Sans, out on a date that, in all honesty, has been a long time coming. 

Have you mentioned that you pretty much haven’t left Callista’s side since she was born?

There’s a slight pressure at your hand and you realize it’s Sans, squeezing your hand to bring you out of your thoughts. “Doin’ okay there?”

“Yeah,” you say. “Just thinking.”

“About Callie?”

He knows you so well. “Yeah,” you say as the two of you head inside the restaurant. Sans flags down the hostess and tells her about your reservation, and she leads you to a table in the corner of the room. Once you take your seats, you resume your conversation. “I hope she’s behaving for Frisk. I don’t want them to get too stressed out.”

“They’ll be fine,” Sans says. “Both of them. Frisk knows how to handle all kinds of magic. And Callista’s already so good at controlling her magic. We’ve got a special kid.”

“I know,” you sigh, looking out the window and at the lights of the city. “I just worry. She’s so young, and her magic is already so strong. What’s going to happen when she’s going to school? What if something happens and she uses magic and the other kids look down on her for it?” You see Sans wants to say something but you preemptively interrupt him. “I know that kids are more tolerant than adults when it comes to monsters and magic, but Callista looks just like a human kid. And humans just...can’t use magic.”

Sans’ hands come to cover yours and you look up at him, meeting his gaze. “We have plenty of time to figure that out, sweetheart,” he says. He’s speaking slowly, and you let his voice wash over you, calming you. “No point in worrying about it now. Let’s just take a step back and enjoy the night, okay?”

You nod, smiling sheepishly. “I’m sorry, honey,” you say. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” The two of you are silent for a moment. “Knock knock.”

You smile. He always knows how to make you feel better. “Who’s there?”

“Olive.”

“Olive who?” You know this one. He’s only told it to you a million times. 

“I love you.”

* * *

 

It’s nearly ten by the time you and Sans make is back home. Frisk is sitting on the couch when you open the front door, messing around on their phone. When they hear you enter, however, they set their phone down and look up, beaming at you. You relax immediately. The house hasn’t burnt down, and everything seems fine. 

How was your date?  they sign, eyebrows waggling. You laugh lightly, while Sans grins. 

“C’mon kid, you know I don’t kiss and tell,” he says. You laugh a little at Frisk’s put-out expression.

“Was Callista good for you?” you ask. “She’s asleep right now?”

Frisk nods.  She was great! She started floating and flying around when we watched Peter Pan, but I stayed right by her and made sure she didn’t fall.

“You’re the best, Frisk,” you say. “We just might have to call you back to babysit some more!”

They look really excited at that prospect, and even more excited when you hand them fifty dollars. “Spend it wisely, kiddo,” Sans warns. You just laugh as Frisk waves goodbye and dashes nextdoor. You watch them from the porch until they’re safely inside and head back in, where Sans is sitting on the couch. 

“I need to go check on her,” you say, gesturing upward with your head. “I might just stay up there, I’m pretty tired.”

“Then I’ll come with you.” Sans stands up and takes you by the waist, rubbing his hand soothingly along your arm. 

When the two of you walk into the bedroom, Callista is definitely asleep. You hear soft little noises emanating from her bassinet, and the thought makes you smile. Walking over so you can see her better, you reach down and brush a finger down her arm. She doesn’t even shift in her sleep.

“I love you, sweetie,” you say softly. “And no matter what happens with your magic, I know you’re gonna be just fine. I’m positive.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frisk would be the best babysitter ever, hands down.


	10. we all know you're qualified

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your family is coming to visit for Callista's second birthday. 
> 
> Chapter title from "Johnny Boy" by twenty one pilots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, writing this thing is one of my only true solaces in this universe. 
> 
> (it's AP season and I'm dying)
> 
> (also I have "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" from Oklahoma stuck in my head and if it ever leaves it will be a miracle)

For Callista’s second birthday, you and the brothers have a couple extra guests at the house. 

It had occurred to you that, other than enough pictures to fill an album and several videos, your family has never met her. This is, in your mind, an absolute travesty. Of course, it isn’t all your fault. You don’t exactly live a feasible driving distance away from your folks, and you’re too nervous to take Callista on a plane just yet. But that’s no excuse for your family not to meet your daughter, so they’re all flying out here, even Logan, who’s a computer software tech for Microsoft now. They’re staying for two and a half weeks, and you couldn’t be more excited. You’ll finally get to show them your life now. It’s going to be  _ fantastic.  _

Of course, the house needs to get cleaned before they arrive. And like any normal family, you wait until the last minute to start cleaning. 

“Sans, you get your socks off the living room floor  _ right now  _ or I will strangle you with them in your _ sleep _ !”

Your husband looks up to see you standing there, brandishing one of many socks in his face. “Aww babe, I don’t even have a windpipe! That’s an  _ airy  _ threat!”

If you were in a better mood, you would have laughed, or at least cracked a smile. But the stress of speed-cleaning has really been getting to you today, and even with Papyrus helping you out with gusto, and Frisk keeping Callista occupied so you can focus, you still feel like you’re about to snap at any moment. 

Before you know it, tears are leaking out of your eyes and running down your cheeks. “Sans,  _ please _ ,” you half-whisper, your throat clenching. You’re overreacting, you know this, but the stress of the day is crashing down on you now. 

“Oh shit,” he says, scrambling up off the couch. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry, I’ll pick up the socks.” He wraps his arms around you in a tight hug, and you let out a sob, burying your face in his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry,” you mumble. “I just...we haven’t seen my family in a couple years, and they’ve  _ never  _ been to the house, and I’m worried about what they’ll think if it’s  _ messy _ , and, and-”

Sans’ hand snakes its way through your hair, massaging your scalp. “I know. It’s okay. You’re okay.” He pulls back so he can look you in the eyes. “Go take a shower. Relax. Me and Paps’ll take care of the rest of the cleaning. You should see him when he’s motivated.”

You nod, wiping at your eyes. “Okay,” you say. “They’ll be here in an hour or two, so-”

“Clean like crazy,” he finishes. “Go. We’ll be fine.”

Before you get in the shower, you look in the mirror. Sure enough, your hair is tangled, your eyes are red, and you’re still sniffling. 

You  _ definitely  _ need that shower.

* * *

 

Half an hour later, you’re out of the shower and dressed, your hair blows dry. Sans refuses to let you help clean anymore, so you relieve Frisk of their babysitting duties and spend the time until your family arrives with Callista. 

“Hi Mama!” she says when she sees you. You smile, and take a seat next to her on the floor of her bedroom. She’s been speaking so much more lately, and you know she’s good at listening to what you and Sans say to her. 

“Hey sweetie,” you say. “Mama’s family is coming to visit us today! Your grandma and grandpa and uncle Logan!”

She looks confused. “Uncle Pap?”

You understand what she’s getting at immediately. “Well, you have Uncle Pap, he’s downstairs. But Mama has a brother, too. His name is Logan, so he’s your uncle Logan!”

She still doesn’t understand. Oh well. She’ll meet him soon enough; maybe that’ll clear things up. You sit with Callista for a few more minutes, until you hear a car pull up outside. Looking out the window in her bedroom, you see a car parking by the sidewalk in front of the house. The passenger side door opens, and a woman who is unmistakably your mother steps out. 

“They’re here!” you cry, picking up your daughter, who giggles at the swooping sensation. You walk down the stairs, trying to calm the sensations building up in your gut. The downstairs looks great, and you breathe a sigh of relief as Sans smiles gently at you, before pulling open the door to reveal your family standing there. 

“_____! Sweetheart, it’s so good to see you!” your mom cries, coming forward to give you a hug. She stops short when she realizes your hands are full. 

“Mom, I’d like you to meet Callista,” you say, beaming at her. Your mother is silent for a moment, but after a moment...

“Oh gosh, sweetie, she’s  _ beautiful _ !” You beam as your mom heaps on the praise. Callista, meanwhile, is acting a little shy. She’s not used to attention from people she hasn't met yet. 

“Hey baby, this is your grandma! Mama’s mama!”

Callista seems intrigued by this. “G-gamma?”

“Yes!” you say, smiling at her. Your mom looks at Callista with a soft expression on her face. 

“Can I…” she asks, holding out her arms. 

“Sweetheart, can Grandma hold you for a minute!” You’re relieved when she nods in response. You gingerly pass off your daughter, and watch as your mom hold her carefully.

“Oh, she looks so much like you!” she says. She turns to Sans. “Like both of you actually, as strange as that seems.”

You know what she’s getting at. Callista might have your hair and eye shape, but everything else is Sans’. Her cheekbones look just like his, and her eyes are the same color as her magic: a stark, piercing blue. 

You step back from them to talk to the boys in your family, who are both looking at Callista with wonder in their eyes. 

“So that’s my granddaughter,” your dad says, a tear leaking at the corner of his eye. He turns to face you and Sans. “You guys did a good job with this one, I can tell.”

“She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Sans agrees. “Except maybe .”

You shift your gaze over to Logan, who has yet to say a word. Making your way over to stand next to him, you lightly elbow him in the ribs. 

“Hey,” you say once he faces you. “Want me to introduce you to your niece?”

He nods, and you take his hand, walking over to your mother, who’s tickling Callista and making her laugh. 

“Hey, Callista?” you say. She turns to you. “This is your uncle Logan. Remember? I told you about him earlier?”

She looks at him for a second, and you can see the cogs turning in her mind. Wordlessly, she reaches out for him, and you gesture to your mom to let Logan hold her. 

When he takes her in his arms, it feels like time itself stands still. Everyone is watching the two of them with bated breath, until suddenly. 

“Hi Uncle Logan!” Callista giggles, releasing the built-up tension in the room. She reaches up to pull at his hair, and you smile as Logan blanches, looking at you with an expression of panic. 

“It’s just what she does, she’s not going to  _ hurt  _ you,” you say. “She’s trying to get you to play with her.”

“Oh, okay,” he says, still a little wary of your daughter’s grabby hands. “Is it—can I sit down with her?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” you say. 

“No, you’re not allowed to sit in our house, you have to stand at all times,” Sans calls out from the other side of the room. You shoot him a look. 

The time until dinner passes quickly, with everyone fawning over Callista. You take your family on a tour of the house at one point, but you can tell that everyone just wants to hang out with your daughter. You don’t blame them. She can be pretty adorable when she wants to be.

For your family’s first visit to your home, Papyrus insisted on preparing his most famous dish: spaghetti. And although you have had many, many,  _ many  _ dishes of Papyrus’ spaghetti over the years, this one really takes the cake. The noodles are just the right consistency, and the meatballs are spiced to perfection. Callista loves it too, if the meat sauce smeared around her mouth is any indication. 

“Gosh Papyrus, this is really incredible!” your mother says. “You’ll have to give us the recipe.”

Papyrus ‘nyehs’ in thanks, as your dad nods along. The conversation at the table is light and casual, and when you look at Logan, you see he’s making faces at Callista. Who’s trying to copy them. You nudge Sans and gesture to them, and he grins back at you. You knew those two would hit it off. That’s one thing you’ve noticed about Callista. Even though she’s just days short of two, she can make friends with just about anybody. It makes you hopeful for her future. 

Once dinner ends, it’s getting pretty late for Callista. When it gets close to her naptime, she generally starts to get a little cranky, and when that happens, her magic usually starts acting up. Tonight is no exception. 

“Mama! Up!” she cries, pulling on your leg. You can’t pick her up right now; you’re cleaning up from dinner. But Callista doesn’t care. So when you don’t pick her up, she takes matters into her own hands, floating up to latch onto your waist. This would have been fine—a little annoying, but still fine—if your family hadn’t been standing right behind you, watching the whole thing.

You don’t notice anything’s wrong until something shatters behind you. Whipping around, your arms moving to support Callista, you see your mom dropped her wine glass, the pieces shooting across the floor. 

“W-what was that?” she asks, her voice shaking. You feel like your heart is leaping in your throat. You forgot to tell your family about Callista’s ability to do magic. It just slipped your mind. She’s been doing this for half a year now, but somehow you never thought to mention that to your family. 

“That, uh,” you begin. “That was, that was magic. Callista can do...magic.”

Your family just looks at you with expressions of shock on their faces. 

“She’s been doing this for about six months now,” you say. “One week she’s learning to walk, and the next week she’s learning to float.” It sounds so absurd when you say it out loud. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, it’s just been so hectic.”

Logan is the first to break out of the spellbound silence. Wordlessly, he reaches out his arms to Callista. Testing her. She looks at you, and as the blue sheen envelopes her you let go, watching her float into your brother’s arms. She lands safely, and gives him a hug. This is what finally gets your parents to relax.

“Sounds like she’s quite a handful,” your dad jokes. Your mom apologizes for dropping the wine glass and sweeps up the mess, promising to buy you a new one. Sans, having come into the dining room when he heard the glass break, takes a now sleepy Callista upstairs for bed. Papyrus finishes cleaning up from dinner, and you and your family relocate to the living room. 

“You’re doing a really good job with her,” your mom says. “I can already tell she’ll grow up to be a good kid.”

“That’s the hope,” you say. “I’m worried about the magic, though. So far she’s been really good at controlling it, but it’s hard to know what the future will hold.”

Your mom nods. “I understand. Not the magic part, of course, but you  _ were  _ our first child. It can be terrifying, bringing someone into the world and wondering what they’re going to be like. But she really is a wonderful little girl. I only met her today, and I love her so much already.”

“I’m just glad you guys are taking this so well,” you say. “I wanted to tell you, but having you find out like that was...pretty shocking, I guess. You should have seen  _ my  _ reaction when she did it for the first time.”

“That must have been terrifying,” Logan says. “What did you do?”

“I...may have screamed,” you say sheepishly. “I scared her. I felt really bad afterward. But then Sans started teaching her how to control it. She gets it all from him, you know. It’s not the same as what he can do, but it’s really similar.”

You all talk a few minutes more, joined by Sans once he comes back from putting Callista to bed and Papyrus after he’s finished cleaning up dinner. You all trade stories, summing up your lives since you all last saw each other. It’s really great, you think, to have both halves of your family in one place. It really makes it feel like home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if your family is anything like my family, but in my family, we always wait until the last minute to start cleaning.
> 
> My grandma, aunt, cousin, and my cousin's baby are all coming out for my graduation in June and I'm already getting anxious about the amount of cleaning I have to do before then. 
> 
> Send me requests so I can stave off that anxiety just a little bit longer!


	11. we've made it this far, kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're gone for a week and Sans has primary responsibility for taking care of Callista. 
> 
> Chapter title from "Migraine" by twenty one pilots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I was originally going to do another pre-Callista story but then this idea came to me and I was like "this is way more fun!"
> 
> And it totally was. I had so much fun writing this.

The first time you leave Callista for an extended period of time, it’s to go to Logan’s wedding, halfway across the country from home. Even though it’s been a few years since Callista started learning how to control her magic, you’re still nervous about traveling with her. Anything could happen; she’s been developing new abilities lately, and if anything bad were to happen, you would feel a lot safer if it happened where there are plenty of magic-savvy monsters around to keep things under control. 

Which is why you are now gone by yourself for a week, and Sans has sole responsibility for taking care of Callista. He’s taking the week off from work—not that that’s an issue—to spend with her, and he’s pretty excited about it. Ever since she started developing telekinesis that’s more like his (moving things around besides just herself), he’s been itching to teach her how to control herself better. 

It’s only a week ago now that she launched her dinner plate into the sink once she was finished with her food, breaking the plate in the process. That had been a traumatic evening for all three of you. Neither you nor Sans had any time to react before Callista herself started crying, both because she was sorry for breaking the plate and because she had scared herself with her magic. She said it was an accident, and instead of getting anywhere close to mad, you and Sans had spent the next hour calming her down, telling her it was okay. Sans had promised to teach her how to use it, and now that he’s got time off from work, he intends to keep that promise. 

So now the two of them are sitting in the backyard, on the porch. Callista’s still pretty small, even though she’s four now, so she fits easily on Sans’ lap. 

“Can you do something for me, Callie?” he asks. 

“Uh-huh?” She looks up at him with a bright flicker of curiosity in her eyes, and his soul melts. 

He points over towards the garage. “You see that tennis ball over there?” She nods, and moves to stare at it. “I want you to try to bring it over here. Just think about it  _ really hard  _ and it should come right over.”

Her eyebrows furrow and her face scrunches up in concentration as she looks over at the tennis ball. As he watches her face, he sees her eyes brighten just slightly and the tennis ball shoots over towards them. He has to duck, and he just misses it striking him in the skull. 

“Oops,” she says, giggling a little bit. “Sorry, Daddy.”

“That’s okay,” he says, ruffling her hair. “Maybe...don’t think so hard next time?”

They try again, this time using a cushion from one of the patio chairs—just in case. But Callista is a fast learner, and she manages to make the cushion land softly on her lap, which causes both her and Sans to celebrate. He stands up, swinging her around, her laughter music to his ears. He dreads the day that she’ll be too big for him to pick up, but for now he’s still content. 

After they practice this a few more times, Sans decides to try a little game. He hands Callista the tennis ball, and uses his own magic to float a hula hoop about twenty feet in front of them. 

“Can you put it through the hoop?” he says as he uses his magic to move it slowly from side to side. Callista bites her lip, and he notes the determined look in her eyes. He knows she won’t back down from a challenge. 

The ball starts floating, covered in a blue magic so similar to his, but so different at the same time. It has a different consistency; it’s more transparent than his, and darker as well. He wonders if this is because Callista is half human, if that dilutes her magic somehow. It would make sense, given the limited scope of magical abilities she’s shown thus far. She hasn’t shown  _ any  _ indication of combat-based magic, just the telekinesis. Sans is thankful for that. It’s worrisome enough that Callista still has small bouts of uncontrolled magic. If she lost control of magic that is intended to cause harm...well, Sans thinks it’s good that her abilities are as limited as they are. 

“Daddy, stop moving it!” Callista cries, bringing him out of his thoughts. “It’s not fair! That’s cheating!” 

He smiles at her. There are times when she reminds him so much of you. You’ve said the same thing about his magic, many a time. “Aw, come on sweetheart. If it stays still it’s too easy for you! You just gotta try harder.” She sticks her tongue out at him, but turns back to the game, concentrating for a minute and easily sending the ball through the hoop. “See, there you go! Good job!”

Callista looks very proud of her accomplishments, and slips off of his lap, standing in front of him and striking a pose. It makes him think of Papyrus, and Sans snaps a picture of her while she’s still standing there. He sends it to his brother.

**the great callista says hi**

He receives a reply within seconds. 

**TELL THE GREAT CALLISTA HER MOST MAGNIFICENT UNCLE SAYS HELLO AS WELL**

**arent you supposed to be teaching right now pap**

**YES BUT MY NIECE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THESE SLACKERS**

**would you say that they’re couch potatoes**

**...ARE YOU ON THE COUCH RIGHT NOW?**

**not really but close**

He receives a string of angry emojis in return. Laughing to himself, he puts away his phone, watching Callista as she heads out into the grass, kicking around a soccer ball. 

“Daddy, come play with me!”

“But what if I wanna stay here, kiddo?”

She pouts and he feels his resolve slipping. “Don’t be  _ lazy.  _ Mommy and Uncle Pap get  _ mad  _ when you’re lazy. I’ll tell them on you!”

He feigns shock. “Tell on your own dad? I can’t believe this!”

She giggles, and he knows he’s lost. He makes a big show of getting up from his chair before moving to stand next to her. She points to the fence. 

“Go be goalie!”

He shrugs. “Whatever you say, boss.” But he complies, standing between fence posts and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Hit me with your best shot,” he says. 

Oh God, does she try. But four-year olds don’t have a lot of firepower when it comes to kicking soccer balls, so Callista’s struggling pretty hard. Sans doesn’t want her to feel bad, so he very subtly takes control of the ball, making it move further when she kicks it, scoring against himself. He doesn't care. As long as she’s having fun. 

And she is. Every time she scores she cheers for herself, and it makes him so happy to see her in such a good mood. 

Eventually Callista proclaims that she’s hungry, and Sans realizes with a start that it’s nearly one. They go inside, and he starts making her a lunch when the phone rings. 

He picks it up, and seeing that it’s you, answers. “Hey babe, your plane landed?”

“Yeah,” you say, your voice slightly muffled by static. “We just touched down. How is everything? How’s Callista?”

“Everything's good, Callie’s good, we’re just eatin’ lunch right now.” He slides her a ham and ketchup sandwich and watches her dig in with delight in her eyes. Kid was hungry. 

“Can I talk to her?” you say. 

“Hang on, I’ll ask,” he teases. He covers the receiver with his hand and looks at Callista. “Hey sweetheart, your mom wants to talk to ya. That cool with you?”

The vigorous nods he receives in return are enough to convince him. “Here she is,” he says to you before handing Callista the phone.

“Hi Mommy!” she says, her eyes bright. “I’m good. Daddy and I played outside today!”

He can’t hear your response over the phone, but he can infer what you said when he hears Callista’s response. “Mmhmm! I said I’ll tell on him for being lazy and then he changed his mind!”

Your laughter carries over the phone, and Sans feels a twinge in his soul. He only dropped you off at the airport this morning, and he already misses you so much. At least it’s only a week, and until then he has Papyrus and Callista to keep him company.

Callista talks to you for a few more minutes, and then says goodbye, handing the phone back to Sans. “You still there?” he says into the receiver. 

“Yep,” you say. “Both in the sense that I’m here talking to you,  _ and  _ in the sense of I’m still on the goddamn plane.”

“Hey, watch your language, sweetheart. Our kid’s right here.”

“She can’t hear me right now!”

“Maybe I put it on speakerphone.”

Silence. “Sans. You didn’t.”

He laughs. “You’re right. I didn’t.”

You sigh in both frustration and anger and he snickers in response. “Oh, we’re finally moving. Text you later?”

“Yep. Later. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

You hang up, and Sans puts the phone down, looking at the now empty plate in front of Callista. “You were hungry, huh?”

“You put ketchup on it!” she exclaims. “I  _ love  _ ketchup.”

He knows this. He knows this and he lords it over you every single day. His daughter loves ketchup just as much as he does, and it’s the best thing in the world. 

“Glad you liked it, kiddo,” he says. “Made it special, just for you. Hey, Uncle Pap’ll be home in a few hours. Whaddya say we watch some movies until he gets home?”

She gasps. “Can we watch Lilo and Stitch?”

So that’s what they do. The two of them sit on the couch, Callista leaning up against her dad. Sans smiles down at her as she’s enraptured my a movie she’s seen a million times. 

Things have been so wonderful for so much of his life now, he’s starting to believe it’s real. There are some days, even now, where he still thinks he’ll wake up any moment back underground. Without you. Without Callista. But those days are few and far between now. Now his days are filled with love and happiness. With Papyrus, with you, and with Callista. He could never ask for more. 

Papyrus gets a home a few hours later, and Callista jumps off of the couch once she sees him, exclaiming, “Daddy played soccer with me today, and I won!”

Papyrus smiles at his niece, and squats down to her level. “Well that is just wonderful! Sans tried his best, didn’t he?” 

Sans would be hurt if Papyrus’ accusation wasn’t well founded. But Callista shakes her head. “Nope! Daddy was good, but I was even better!”

“Yep, you got me beat,” Sans chimes in, winking at Papyrus. “You’re a star, Callie.”

She beams and turns back to her uncle. “Uncle Pap, what’s for dinner?”

“How does fettuccine alfredo sound?”

“Fe-fet-uh-shiny afraid-o?”

Sans choked back his laughter. “It’s pasta, kiddo.”

“Oh, okay!” 

And with that, Callista and Papyrus start on dinner. Of course, when Callista’s still this young, she can’t do much more than stir (still under the watchful eye of Papyrus). But she’s under the impression that the meal couldn’t be completed without her, and neither Sans nor Papyrus wants to break that illusion. 

Dinner is great, and Sans receives another call from you once it's over, which is passed around between the three of them. Then you hang up, saying something about your mother panicking, and Papyrus says he wants to go tell Undyne about his fettuccine alfredo, and Sans and Callista are alone again. 

“Hey Daddy?” she asks after the table is cleared. “Can we go outside and look at the stars?”

His soul leaps at the suggestion. “Of course, kiddo. Want me to make hot chocolate, too?”

Her face is priceless. “Hot chocolate?  _ Really?” _

“Yeah, c’mon. You can stir.”

A few minutes later, the two of them are sitting on the lawn couch, a blanket covering them and mugs of hot chocolate in their hands. Callista is looking at the sky, and asking Sans a bunch of questions he’s all too happy to answer. 

“What’s the brightest star in the whole wide world?” she asks. He doesn’t bother correcting her grammar; he just answers the question.

“It’s called Sirius,” he says. He takes a sip from his mug. “People sometimes call it the Dog Star.”

“Why? Does it bark?”

Sans chuckles. “I dunno. We’ll just have to find that out, huh?”

She asks him some more questions about the stars before falling silent, gazing up at them with a look of childish wonder on her face that Sans wants to preserve as long as he can. He sets his now empty mug down and stretches out on the seat. 

“Wanna know my favorite thing about the night sky?”

She sits up a little straighter. “What is it?”

He smiles, he loves telling this story. “A really really long time ago, your mom took me to see the Northern Lights.”

“What are those?”

“It’s when the sky lights up with a bunch of different colors. It’s really cool.”

Callista looks enthralled. “Can I see them someday?”

He ruffles her hair. “Of course, kiddo. We can go see ‘em a million times, if you want.”

“What if I want to see them  _ two  _ million times?”

“We can do that, too.”

Not five minutes after that, Callista starts to yawn, and Sans proclaims that it’s time for bed. Papyrus gets back just in time to join them for story time, and Callista makes him choose the book. By the time they finish reading it, she’s out for the night, and Sans and Papyrus both go back to their rooms after bestowing light kisses on her forehead. 

The bed feels a little too big without you there, but as Sans lets his thoughts drift to Callista, and to just how lucky he is to have finally found his happiness, he manages to drift off into restful slumber.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dad Sans is best Sans


	12. you might get a raindrop in your eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a tornado warning for your area and Sans has never seen one before.
> 
> Set sometime before Callista
> 
> Chapter title is from "March to the Sea" by twenty one pilots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually finished this several hours ago but could not post until right now :(

“Hey, uh, ? What’s with the sky?”

You glance up from the book you’re reading, and rest your eyes on Sans, who’s peering out the window with a look of concern on his face.

“What do you mean?” you ask as you set down the book and make your way over to the window. When you look out, you see exactly what he means. The sky is, well, it’s not a very pretty color, not by a long shot. It’s a sickly green, a shade that instills a deep sense of foreboding within you. 

Wordlessly, you grab the remote and turn on the TV, skipping through channels until you find a weather station. Sure enough…

“Tornado warning?” Sans reads, eyesockets furrowed. 

“Shit,” you mutter to yourself. “Looks like there’s going to be one in the city.”

Sans still looks confused. “, what-”

“You haven’t seen a tornado before?” He shakes his head.

“Not outside of my room in the Underground,” he says. 

Um, what? Nevermind, you’ll ask him about it later. For right now, you need to focus.

“Uh, okay, so up here, tornadoes are pretty dangerous,” you say. “I mean, some are. It’s a scale? Like, there’s F-0s, which aren’t worth a sneeze, then there’s F-3s, which are pretty dangerous, and the scale goes all the way up to an F-5, which is like, the  _ worst.  _ I’ve only seen those on TV.”

That look of concern is back. “You’ve been in one?”

“Three, actually. Back when I was living at the college.” You remember the campus-wide announcements to head down into basements, cellars, as far underground as possible. Back home with your parents, you had never seen a tornado. They just didn’t happen in that part of the country. So you had been pretty scared, the first time. “None of them were worse than an F-3, though. I wonder…” You break off your words to read the ticker at the bottom of the screen. “Oh, it’s an F-2. We should be okay, as long as it doesn’t drop right on top of us.”

“Is that likely?” Sans asks, a hint of panic in his voice. 

“No, not really,” you say. Either way, we really need to get into the basement. I should call Undyne, make sure she and Pap are taking cover.”

“I’ll do that,” he says. You nod and run into the kitchen, grabbing some granola bars and a couple bottles of water, just in case. You grab a blanket off of the couch, and motion to Sans to follow you downstairs. 

He’s talking to Papyrus. “Yeah, bro, I know the sky looks really cool. Just...stay inside, okay? Stay safe. After it’s over, let me know you’re okay. Yeah, I’ll do the same. See ya, bro.”

He hangs up and follows you down the stairs into the basement. “He’ll be fine,” you say. “He and Undyne are with a bunch of college kids who’ve probably seen tornadoes before. They’ll know what to do.”

Sans nods distractedly. “I just...I worry.”

You grab his hand. “I know. That’s what makes you such a great brother.” You take the blanket you brought downstairs and set it out on the couch. “Do you wanna cuddle? The storm shouldn’t last longer than an hour.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” You smile and pull back the blanket enough for you and Sans to scramble underneath and get comfortable. You pull out your phone and go to the local news channel’s website, checking for updates on the storm. But you’re soon distracted by the howling of wind outside, and Sans’ hand clutching your arm.

“Hey, it’s okay,” you say, putting your phone down and turning to face him. “We’re fine, down here.”

His face relaxes when he meets your eyes. “We never had anything like this in the Underground. We never even had  _ wind. _ ” 

You lean into him then, your head resting on his chest. “We’ll get through this,” you say. “And then, the next time it happens, you’ll know what to expect.” After that, neither of you speak any more, and you simply stay there, the two of you, listening to the wind rush overhead.

Tornadoes are truly something else, you think, as the wind wails around the house, the sound carrying down to the basement, submerged in the ground. They are so powerful, so unique. Every single one is different and spectacular in its own way. They are terrifying, but it’s in a way that makes them beautiful.

You must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing you know, Sans is shaking you awake. 

“Is it over?” you say, your voice slurred from sleep. You rub your eyes to get the sleep out of them, and sit up, stretching your arms. It’s a little chilly outside of the blanket, so you pull it back up to cover yourself. 

“Yeah, it’s over,” Sans says. “Pap texted me. Said he ‘n Undyne are alright. They saw the funnel. I asked him if it  _ blew  _ him away. He hasn’t answered me since.”

“Ooh, they saw the funnel? I’m jealous!” Sans gives you an incredulous look. “What? Tornadoes might be dangerous, but they’re cool as heck. One of my favorite movies is about tornadoes.”

“...Really?”

  
“Yes! Actually, I think I have it! I should make you watch it.”

Sans nods slowly. “Okay, sure. Once Pap’s home, okay?”

This sounds reasonable. “Of course! I bet he’ll really like it, too.”

* * *

 

After Papyrus gets home from work, you waste no time in digging the movie  _ Twister  _ out from the black hole that is the DVD cabinet. You put it in the player, and force the brothers to sit down and watch the beginning while you go into the kitchen to make popcorn. You hate the beginning, anyway. 

You wait until the roar of the movie’s opening tornado dies down before heading back in the room, armed with a giant bowl of popcorn. The sight you see is...not what you were expecting. 

Papyrus looks like he’s having a great time, and he’s watching the movie with interest. Sans, however, looks like he’s in a state of shock. His eyesockets are dark, and his jaw is clenched in an unnatural way. His fists are gripping tight onto his shorts, and you know that if there were skin over his knuckles, it would be turning white. 

You don’t know what set him off like this, but you do know one thing. You need to get him somewhere he can calm down. 

“Hey, Sans?” you say in a half-whisper. He practically jumps out of his seat, turning to face you. His pupils of light have returned, but they’re dim. “Could you come here for a second? I, uh, I need some help with something in the backyard.”

“Oh! Can I help?” Papyrus asks. 

“We’ll only be a minute, Pap,” you say. “Just enjoy the movie, okay?”

He turns back to the film without another complaint, and you take Sans by the hand to lead him out into the backyard. He follows you like a robot, and your stomach drops a little. What could be the matter?

Outside, the only sign that there was a tornado at all is the random tree branches strewn across the backyard. The sky is clear, a pleasant blue hue to it. The chairs on the patio are wet from rain, so you lean up against the house. 

“Sans, are you okay?” you begin. No sense beating around the bush. “I just...I came back into the room and you were  _ frozen.  _ What’s wrong?”

He lets out a whoosh of air and stares straight ahead at the garage. “The main character...she lost her dad.”

You nod. You know the movie. It opens up with the main character—Jo—as a child, hiding with her parents in a storm cellar from an F-5 tornado. The hatch that keeps the storm out flips open, and her dad moves to hold it closed. As Jo and her mom watch, a big gust of wind carries the hatch away, her dad with it. He dies.

“Never expected some human movie to hit so close to home.”

You look at Sans, shocked speechless. So close to home? Does that mean…

“Sans?” you start, your voice small. “You, uh, did something—”

“I never knew my mom,” he says. “As far as I can remember, it was only ever my pops. He was the royal scientist. He worked a lot, I didn’t see him all that much. But W.D. Gaster was the most renowned scientist in the whole underground.”

“Was?” you prompt. You know what’s coming, but you can’t help but ask.

Sans appears to slump in on himself. “When Paps was tiny, a little babybones, I worked with my dad on the Core. One day, there was an accident. We were doing some routine tests up on top, and there was a hatch open on the top. Dad was doing something, I still don’t know what. But all of a sudden I heard him yelling, and when I looked up, he was hanging by his fingers off the hatch.”

You already know what he’s going to say. 

“I ran to help him, but the hatch was old and rusty. Part of what we were doing up there was supposed to be replacing old parts. I guess Dad’s weight was too much, because the hatch broke off, and he fell. Into the Core.”

“Shit,” you breathe out. “Oh God, Sans, I am  _ so sorry _ .”

But he isn’t finished. “You know what the worst part is? I’m the only one who remembers him. Who  _ really  _ remembers him. Most monsters, they know there was a Royal Scientist before Alphys. But they don’t remember anything about him. Guy was a household name before the accident. After? You could ask someone who W.D. Gaster was and you’d get a blank stare.”

“Papyrus doesn’t…?”

He shakes his head. “Just me.”

You can’t think of anything to say. How can you, when you’ve never experienced anything even  _ close  _ to what Sans has been through?  So instead you pull him close, giving him a tight hug. 

“I’m sorry,” you whisper into the crook of his neck. “I wouldn’t have insisted we watch the movie, if I’d known.”

“But you didn’t know,” Sans says. “And I’m sure it’s a great movie. It just…”

“Yeah, I know,” you say. “Do you want to stay out here for a while? Want me to stay with you?”

“Will the rest of the movie remind me of my dad?”

You think for a moment. “No, I don’t think so. It gets pretty sciency, actually. I thought you would really like it.”

“I’m sure I will,” he says. “I’m sure it’ll  _ blow me away _ .”

You’re too happy he’s making puns again to remind him that he’s already used that one today. And as you watch the rest of the movie, you sneak a few peeks at his reactions, pleased to see him smiling and taking it in. Once the movie’s finished, he tells you he agrees with you.

Tornadoes are, scientifically speaking, cool as heck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never anticipated throwing Gaster into this. But I did. Go me.


	13. ask your soul if you're alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans had a bad day today. You do what you can to help.
> 
> Set sometime before Callista
> 
> Chapter title from "Before You Start Your Day" by twenty one pilots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo okay this wasn't supposed to take nine days but AP tests and Oklahoma happened.
> 
> Oklahoma's done now, the last show was last night and while I'm sad it's over I have a lot more free time now! And now that AP tests are over I will undoubtedly have less homework. So that's good!
> 
> Anyway, here's this.

Married life is great, you think to yourself as you pull into the garage after another day of work. It’s one of the first thoughts you have in the morning as you wake up next to your husband, and the last thought you have at night before falling asleep in his arms. It’s the thought that brushes your mind every time you glance down at your hand, and see two shining rings side by side. 

Because you came home a little earlier than normal, you didn’t have the chance to nab some of the leftover pastries. So you set about making yourself a snack. You start by craving chocolate, and soon enough you’ve decided to go ahead and make a batch of chocolate chip cookies. You work diligently, and the cookies are in the oven before too much time has passed. 

Sans should be home soon, you note to yourself. The two of you have the house to yourselves for the next few days; the college is having a retreat for all its employees, so Papyrus is currently living it up doing...something. Undyne’s there, too. You just hope they don’t get into too much trouble.

...Come to think of it, you should probably call Papyrus later. Just to make sure everything’s alright.

So since Papyrus is gone, you and Sans are on your own for dinner, which really doesn’t happen all that often. Papyrus has made probably 80% of all the meals you’ve had since you and Sans were married. And he’s a great cook now, so you’re not complaining. But it might be nice to make something of your own tonight. 

Keeping one eye trained on the cookies baking in the oven, you pull down the necessary ingredients for tuna salad. It’s late spring, and a cool dish for dinner sounds pretty good right about now. When the timer for the cookies goes off ten minutes into your cooking, you pull them out of the oven and set them on the cooling rack, sneaking one for yourself.

Some time later, the boiled noodles are sitting in the strainer and you’re mashing up the tuna when the door to the backyard opens. Sans must be home. You turn around to greet him, but he brushes past you with little more than a grunt of acknowledgement. Setting down the bowl of tuna, you follow him into the living room and watch as he practically collapses into his chair. It looks like the weight of the world itself has come crashing down on him. He must have had a really bad day. 

You creep back into the kitchen to put anything perishable in the fridge, and then return to the living room, where Sans has yet to move. Walking up to him, you place a hand on his arm, rubbing your fingers over his radius in a soothing manner.

“Sans?” you say, voice quiet. “Are you okay? Did something happen at work today?”

He looks up at you, and your heart breaks a little bit. He just looks  _ defeated _ . Like he’s lost the will to go on. 

“Oh honey,” you say, sitting on the arm of his chair. You pull his skull towards you and kiss him on the temple. “What’s wrong?”

He takes a deep, rattling breath and looks up at you, pupils dim. “There were protesters outside Tori’s school today.”

You bite your lip, understanding immediately. “When you say protestors, do you mean-”

“They weren't violent,” he says. “Didn’t do anything ‘cept shout and hold up signs. But it wasn’t pretty.”

“Did any of the kids see it?”

He rubs at his temple with his fingers. “All of them saw it. The protesters were standing just off the school grounds. That way they can’t be arrested.”

You move to say something, but he continues talking. “They were yelling at the kids. Both the monster kids, and the human kids. I think the human kids got it worse. They got called ‘traitors to their species’”. 

And if that doesn't bring back flashbacks to what feels like an eternity ago, that night in the alleyway where you were cornered, threatened by other humans for so much as daring to be friends with monsters. 

The thought that this is  _ still  _ happening, years later, and to  _ children  _ no less, fills you with anger. 

“God! This just isn’t fair!” you say. Sans turns to you, a little off-guard from your sudden outburst. “Monsters have been dealing with this shit for  _ years.  _ You would think humans would have moved on, accepted it by now. But  _ no.  _ We’re never content with something different from what we perceive as the norm. And going after  _ kids?  _ What kind of spineless assholes would do that?” There are tears poking at the corner of your eyes. “Humanity can be really terrible.”

Wordlessly, Sans pulls you down the arm of the chair and into his lap. Letting out a deep sigh, you rest your head on his shoulder. 

“Nothing happened, right?” you say. “Nobody was hurt?”

“Not physically. But they made a few kids cry.” You can feel the anger thrumming through his soul. “Can’t tell you how much I wanted to get them out of there. By any way I could.”

You understand. You feel the same way. “I know. But that wouldn’t have looked good to the police. Like you said, the protesters weren’t breaking any laws.” 

“They were there  _ all day _ ,” Sans says. “All the kids had to walk past ‘em twice. I don’t know how they did it.”

“I couldn’t have done it. I would be too scared, at that age.” Once again, empathy for Toriel’s students washes over you. The school has always seen problems. You remember when the pipes kept bursting a few months back, and the plumbing company charged an exorbitant fee for its shitty patching jobs. And then there were complaints from the school district’s PTA about the school and how it “demonstrated a poor standard of education”. You had to physically restrain Sans from dunking on every member of the organization individually. Luckily, Toriel managed to smooth things over. You think her pie helped. 

The thought of Toriel’s pie reminds you of the food sitting in the kitchen. 

“Shoot, I forgot I was making dinner!” you say. Apologetically, you get up from your perch on Sans’ lap. “You can help out if you want. I made cookies, too.”

He perks up a little at the mention of cookies, and the two of you head into the kitchen.

“Knew I smelled something good,” he says. “I woulda had one, but…”

“I know.” You smile gently at him, and offer him a cookie. He takes it gladly. As you continue to mash the tuna, you continue talking to him. “So how was your day, besides the asshole protesters? Do anything fun with the kids?”

Out of the corner of your eye, you see him nod. “The older kids messed around with gel electrophoresis today. I helped them, of course.”

“That’s really cool! Did you guys use actual DNA?”

“Mmhmm. We used lab samples. But next time they’re gonna practice making their own using Frisk’s DNA.”

You smile. “Well, color me impressed!”

Toriel’s school isn’t the most conventional, as monster child development doesn’t align exactly with human child development. Plus, the school has maybe 200 kids. Instead, there are eight “classes” of kids, each with a range of ages. The oldest kids, the ones Sans showed gel electrophoresis to, are the equivalent of 16-18 in human years. 

“So what did they think? Does anybody want to become a forensic analyst when they grow up?” you ask. 

Sans laughs. “Nah, but they thought it was pretty cool. There’s this one bunny kid; her favorite part was making the gel.”

“I mean, it’s chemistry, it’s pretty cool.” You’re finally satisfied with the consistency of your tuna, and so you tip the bowl into the pasta bowl, and begin to mix. “Sans, can you hand me the cucumbers?”

He does, and the two of you spend the next few minutes chatting amicably and making dinner together. You scold him when you catch him sneaking cookies during the gaps in your conversation, but in truth, you're just happy he seems to be feeling better. 

Life has never been easy for monsters on the surface, and while things have been getting better, the news is still punctuated by stories of violence. You can only hope that things will continue to get better from here. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gel electrophoresis is literally the coolest thing ever I love science
> 
> I'm gonna do another Callista chapter next time for sure. I miss her :(
> 
> See you guys then!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay here's how the rest of this thing is gonna go.
> 
> I have some specific ideas for what I want to do for some one-shots, but I am open to requests! In fact, I encourage them!
> 
> You can submit them either in the comments here, or at my Undertale [tumblr](http://first-order-determination.tumblr.com)
> 
> For the time being (I'll let you know if that changes) I only want safe-for-work requests. Also, just because you request something doesn't mean I'll end up including it. Everything I post here is going to be canon, so I have the final say in what'll be included.
> 
> That being said, I have an open mind. And I like writing, especially when I have a prompt.
> 
> Send me requests please! See y'all later!
> 
> NEW THING: I made a [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/rosesandspades713/playlist/7GiM21FsNgEVyI27rB0FuW) playlist for this universe now!


End file.
